craving a break dress

i so need a break! fortunately (for me) one is on its way. here is what i want to do on my break: escape into a fictitious world ... or multiple fictitious worlds. and when i am not "running away", i want to do nothing: lie flat on my back on my bed or sofa and stare at the ceiling. maybe, if i am so inclined, some yoga. but that is all. some would call all of this a waste of time. that's fine. i am not asking anyone to join me in any of these activities. and i won't stand in the way of anyone else's activities on their break. i just so need my break! i call it pressing my reset button!

p.s. note the specs!

i am wearing the alpen top, the delphi scarf, the l/s honolulu dress and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my pullover is by grizas. i am wearing the mondrian shoe (closed collection) by trippen.

and this brings me to the end top

i am wearing the alpen action top, the delphi scarf, the (woollen) square jacket and the 3d skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the mondrian shoe (closed collection) by trippen.

counting the dots dress

the other day, i was wondering what it is about winter that makes me so melancholy. i have been having lots of conversations lately about the connection between individuals and the rest of the world and between individuals and the environment. some of these conversations have focussed on how sensitive i am to the effect on my internal state of things external to me. staring out the window that day (when i was wondering what it is about winter that makes me so melancholy), it suddenly occurred to be how grey and brown winter is. there is simply no colour. all of nature has died (or gone into hibernation). there is no living colour. i think this lack of colour really affects me! it may also be why i am more inclined to want to wear colour in the winter. on some level, i know, in the absence of "real" colour, i need "artificial" colour.

i am wearing the alpen top, the delphi scarf, the l/s honolulu dress and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my pullover is by grizas. i am wearing the mondrian shoe (closed collection) by trippen.

reading books pullover

some clothes just scream libraries to me. club chairs, study carrels, endless stacks of books, perfect (not too bright, not too dim and definitely no fluorescent) lighting, cathedral ceilings in the main reading room, hushed murmurings and brooding skies peeking in from the outside. as temperatures slowly descend, i have been wrapping myself in sweaters and spending lots and lots of time reading books. for me, voluminous dresses are perfect for curling up in a large club chair (or sinking into a large club chair with my legs hooked over an arm of the chair) with a good book. if you ever find yourself in a library reading room and spot someone that fits this description, take a second look, because it just might be me!

i am wearing the outside shirt, the brasilia dress, the scarf sweater by kaliyana. my boots are the rectangle boot (closed collection) by trippen.

swirls pullover

sometimes, where colour is concerned, i am all matchy, matchy. other times, not so much. at those times, shapes dominate. i could care less about colour and i end up mixing at least two. but, somehow, the colours mix well. at least for me.

i am wearing the alpen top, the delphi scarf, the honolulu dress and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my pullover is by grizas. i am wearing the mondrian shoe (closed collection) by trippen.

fond of round specs pullover

a couple of weeks ago, i went shopping for new glasses. i don't need new glasses, but it has been some time since i updated my glasses wardrobe. i found two contenders. both perfectly round specs, one pair small and one pair large, the frames clear plastic. because i couldn't decide between the two*, i decided to proscrastinate instead, meaning to wait until either i could decide between the two or i could afford both.

*i am very (very) fond of round specs of all sorts and am in possession of several pairs (frameless, (one pair vintage, one pair "new"), medium sized black plastic frames, medium sized grey horn frames (vintage these), medium sized walnut faux horn frames and large (think Harry Potter) walnut faux horn frames). i want all the round specs i can get my hands on! hmmm. sounds a lot like me and dotty clothing.

i am wearing the notting hill top and the cool pant by kaliyana. my pullover is by grizas.  i am wearing the mondrian shoe (closed collection) by trippen.

living life on the edge footwear

i wanted to comment about trippen's sport collection, by comparing it to trippen's box collection. after several attempts, this was the best that i could come up with: there are similarities between the soles of the two collections, but one (the box collection) is edgier than the other. of course, given that i am talking about trippen here, a less edgy sole still makes for a pretty amazing collection. and, oh so comfortable! i could live in these boots ... literally!

i am wearing the notting hill top, the ono dress, the best vest and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the tourist boot (sport collection) by trippen.

on (my) trend cardi

the dark days have arrived. i mean this literally. where i live, daylight savings time ended on november 1, meaning that, now (and for the next few months) by the time most of us 9-to-5ers finish work and are free to play, our playground is dark. i like it! surprise!

i am wearing the alpen top, the l/s anemone dress, the milan skirt, the delphi scarf and the (woollen) square jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen. 

making new of old jacket

sometimes i think i am on to a secret. and i wonder if i should share it. or not. for, is it mine to share? to make things clear, i am not talking about a secret that someone entrusts me with with the express understanding that i will not share it with anyone. those secrets i won't share. unless and until i have permission to share. no, i am talking about a secret that is an out in the open activity that no one is drawing attention to but might be worth having attention drawn to it. i find it interesting that a label may test-drive some designs with a select market (and in limited numbers) before making it more widely available. but this activity is not a secret. or, if it is, it is the worst kept secret.

i am wearing the l/s anemone dress, the milan skirt and the left back jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

an ode to the past ... outfit

have i mentioned that, recently, i decided to be adventurous and order some items from across the pond? no? well, then, let me mention that, recently, i decided to be adventurous and order some items from across the pond. one of these items was a pair of rundholz dip trousers. this little adventure was thanks to my craziness. i had purchased locally a rundholz dip top and i simply had to have rundholz dip bottoms to match it. (in my crazy opinion) nothing suitable was available locally. so i went in search of the perfect match online -- the only kind of online dating that i have engaged in to date. lo and behold, i found the perfect match: a pair of beautiful trousers. into my shopping cart they went and off to checkout i went. so far, so good. then ... i pressed the "buy" button, and ... the purchase was rejected! limbo. now what? less than an hour later, i received an email from the shop asking me what i wanted to do: did i want to have an invoice issued to me for another method of payment? did i want the order to be cancelled, so that i could try again? what did i want to do? decision made, i responded, selecting the second option.  again, less than a hour later, i heard back from the shop: the order would be cancelled right away. goody, goody. because, now, i really needed those trousers. how long would i have to wait. yet again, less than a hour later, the order had been cancelled and i, again, plucked the trousers from the virtual clothing rack and proceeded to checkout. this time, success with payment. yay! now, i settled in for "the wait" (delivery). less the two weeks later, the trousers arrived in my mailbox. they are perfect and i am happily wearing them (to stick with my earlier reference to online dating -- engagement and marriage). the second item that i ordered from across the pond was a pair of trippens. for this adventure, i have one of my readers to thank. in this case, when i pressed the "buy" button, i had no idea just how adventurous i was going to be. a couple of days after i had placed my order, i learned (via email) that the trippens that i had thought i was buying were out of stock. so i was given a choice, cancel the purchase or have the trippens specially made for me. well, i figured that, since i had already jumped into the pool, i might as well swim. so i asked for the trippens to be specially made for me. a day or so later, i got an "okay, will do". then i settled in for "the wait". two weeks later, i heard that my trippens had been shipped. now it remains to be seen whether they will make it across the pond to my doorstep. and, whether they will be exactly (or even remotely close to) what i was expecting. i will let you know how things turn out. if things work out with the trippens, i may never shop locally again. just kidding!

i am wearing the amanda top and the odyssey pant by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

as good as gold jacket

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

do you ever get the sense that you have been here before ... outfit

now that autumn weather has finally arrived, i am excited about autumn ... and even about the approaching winter. but i feel like i have been here before (and not recently). of course, in some sense, that is a strange thing to say. of course i have been here before. this isn't my first autumn and this isn't the first time that i have experienced winter approaching. but that is not what i am talking about when i say that i feel like i have been here before. that feeling is coming from the way that i am dressing. not the clothes that i am selecting but how i am selecting them. anyways, it isn't an altogether unpleasant feeling.

i am wearing the shirt dress, the mocha skirt and the shinjuku jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

so proud tunic

i am so proud of myself. the other day, i was shopping for some rundholz clothing and, instead of grabbing every single sweater available to me, i settled for the one (that's right, the one) that i really loved (the one that made me want to dance the moment i put it on). but, while i am on the subject of new rundholz clothing, i should probably confess that the restraint that i showed in the face of wool was nowhere to be found when i was bombarded with the pleather pieces on offer. maybe i should rethink whether there is anything for me to be proud of. baby steps?

i am wearing the l/s anemone dress and the milan skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

the "what am i going to wear today delay" top

 

the other day, i was a bit late getting into work. a colleague, who was also a bit late getting into work, arriving seconds after me, asked whether, like her, i too experienced subway delays. no, i answered, i experienced the what am i going to wear today delay. a not infrequent occurrence during transition periods.

i am wearing the corfu dress, the twist top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

the weird time begins dress and jacket

for most of the summer, i was anxious about summer ending. having suffered through a long winter and a nagging cough that appeared with the beginning of the year and wouldn't go away until well into spring, i needed a long break away from winter. every day, i pushed down the anxiety about summer ending (too soon) and strived to enjoy summer (even each and every heatwave). now that summer is almost over, for some reason, i don't feel so anxious about it ending (soon or otherwise). even the weird times that characterize the end of summer and beginning of fall, when one day can be truly chilly only to be followed by a hot day (and so on and so on), aren't bothering me. i am taking them all in stride, happily switching between summer and fall clothing on a daily basis if need be. the suspicious part of me is asking why i am so "go with the flow" all of a sudden. what happened to the anxiety about winter coming too soon? the "go with the flow" part of me is telling me to stop questioning my zen state of mind and to enjoy it. what is winning out? i don't know. but dang do i love shopping for new winter clothes!

i am wearing the corfu dress, the amazing skirt and the shinjuku jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

just wear it dress

i am wearing the edi dress by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

this diamond is forever dress

two of my first acquisitions from kaliyana. for me, some things do endure.

i am wearing the diamond dress and the string jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

reality check top

if experimenting with white clothes has driven anything home for me it is this: that i feel sooooo comfortable in black clothes.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the crop point top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the boss shoe (box collection) by trippen.

meteor showers top

this may be the last all white outfit for this summer. although i don't really care much for the rule of no white after labour day (other than in the sense that rules are made to be broken), for some reason, as the official end of summer draws nearer and nearer, wearing all white feels more and more foreign to me. when i embarked on the experiment of wearing all white, i thought it would be a time-limited experiment. that it would be limited to a few weeks of very hot weather in july and august. but with each new all white outfit that i wore, i never imagined that there would be a natural end to it. until all of a sudden, a natural end appeared on the horizon. i guess i know myself better than i give myself credit for.

i am wearing the meteor top, the casa jacket and the 3d skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the cosmos shoe (closed collection) by trippen.

at peace top

i saw some of the kaliyana autumn/winter online collection. i love the idea of wearing the brasilia dress overtop a shirt (maybe even my grey bellini print shirt, then i can pair the dress/shirt pairing with my grey bellini print long tight pant). i just need that fold boot by trippen (closed collection).

i am wearing the oggi top and the g.p. skirt by kaliyana. my sandals are the casar sandal (closed collection) by trippen.

checking in tunic

the other day, i had the most unusual experience. on my way to work, i saw a woman i had "met" some months ago shopping in one of my favourite bricks and mortar clothing shops. on my way home from work, i stopped by that shop and, lo and behold, in walked that same woman. occurrences like this intrigue me.

i am wearing the neck-tie dress, the brilliant jacket and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the mandarin shoe (x+os collection) by trippen.

roll up the sleeves and go to work dress

i have this knack of sometimes (sometimes) remembering really trivial things. like that last summer i wore this dress only once. this summer, i have worn this dress at least a half dozen times (and counting). in fact, i think that this summer this is one of my favourite dresses.

i am wearing the ono dress and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my sandals are the manolo sandal (closed collection) by trippen. i am wearing the vertical five necklace by itsomi.

the teflon (scotch guard, etc) comes off outfit

finally, after many outings in white with no stain mishaps, it happened. it was inevitable that, eventually, i would slip up, drop the mindful living, and the spills and stains would catch me. first, it was a splash of tea. then, the smear of melted chocolate. neither stain was large enough to be noticeable, but i felt like i should just deliberately dump something on my clothes and get the inevitable big stain over with. i didn't though. and, somehow, i made it through a full day without any more stain mishaps. but i am not tempting fate too soon after this day. i think i will play it safe in black clothes for the next little while. coward? absolutely.

i am wearing the horizon jacket, the pelican top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the boss shoe (box collection) by trippen.

far from tweed skirt

recently, i was reminiscing about what i call my tweed days. these reminiscences were brought on by how someone had decorated his new office.  surrounded by persian rugs and antique barristers bookcases, showcasing, among other things, his pipe collection, it was easy to picture him in a tweed jacket with a woollen scarf wrapped around his neck walking across the perfect collegiate quadrangle smoking one of his pipes. i told him as much. he replied that he was that person, once upon a time. to which i replied that, while it might be hard to believe, looking at me wearing this white outfit, i too had a tweed period in my life. minus the pipe ... of course.

i am wearing the higashi top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the sleek shoe (cups collection) by trippen.

simple top

it occurs to me that i like clean and simple ... and that there are different types of clean and simple. this outfit represents one type of the clean and simple that i like.

i am wearing the oggi top and the g.p. skirt by kaliyana. my sandals are the casar sandal (closed collection) by trippen.

inventory dress

i am doing an inventory of my wardrobe. not the first time i have done this. but this time is different. by accident, it is taking place at a time when i am shopping summer sales and browsing autumn collections. i am noticing that, when shopping, it helps to know exactly what is in my wardrobe and what are the favourite pieces in my wardrobe. this knowledge keeps me on the right path -- purchasing only items that are truly me and fewer returns.

i am wearing the sundress and the aggro top by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

sales time top

i both love and hate that summer sales start about a month into what is officially summer. the love comes from the opportunity to get summer clothes on sale, with plenty of time to wear them. the hate, from the knowledge that soon there won't be any summer clothes to be had notwithstanding that summer weather lingers.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the pelican top and the balloon pant by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

and back to white outfit

mostly because the day was predicted to be the last truly hot one for the next little while (although not as hot as it had been previously ... and not that the next little while was going to be cold ... just "normal" summer weather), i felt compelled to wear a white outfit.

i am wearing the manifold dress and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the mandarin shoe (x+os collection) by trippen.

a return to normal outfit

mostly because there was a bit of relief from the heat, i was able to return to my normal state of dress: black.

i am wearing the manifold dress and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the mandarin shoe (x+os collection) by trippen.

the whitewash continues outfit

i am wearing the horizon jacket, the crop point top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the boss shoe (box collection) by trippen.

the heat wave continues outfit

it's amazing how quickly i have come to feel comfortable wearing white clothes. the amount of open stares hasn't lessened, but feeling cool in my white clothes on a hot summer day puts them all in the background.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the pelican top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the boss shoe (box collection) by trippen.

so white skirt

when i first emerged from my nest wearing all white clothing, i told everyone (who remarked on the dramatic change or asked, "what's up?") that i was conducting an experiment. i wanted to determine if all the claims about white clothing making one feel cooler than black clothing could be backed up by actual experience. i know that white reflects light while black absorbs it, so, logically, white clothing should make one feel cooler than black clothing, but could i actually feel a difference? well ... i think that i can feel the difference. of course, a feeling is just a feeling and very open to the power of suggestion. i may need to find some way of objectively measuring the different experiences. then again, do i really care whether feeling cooler is a function of suggestion or objective reality?

i am wearing the crop point top, the manifold dress and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the boss shoe (box collection) by trippen.

making a point top

i thought that i would give white another go. not tip to toe this time. i felt like i needed some black at the bottom to ground me.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the crop point top and the balloon pant by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

the fall back dress

this is the dress that i reached for that morning when two other outfits didn't feel right. i haven't had that happen to me for some time! i must say, not an experience that i have missed.

i am wearing the brasilia dress by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

winter skies on the bottom dress

it was chilly on the day that i wore this. after days of progressively higher temperatures, all of a sudden, the temperature plummeted. and i was thrown into a panic. the panic i usually experience when i am transitioning from one season to another and neither season's clothing is entirely appropriate. the panic that translates to the following internal scream: "yikes! what am i going to wear!" truth be told, i wasn't entirely pleased with my selection. but, objectively, it was fine. so i endured!

i am wearing the brasilia dress by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

winter skies top and skirt

i love this pattern even if it reminds me of winter skies.

i am wearing the oggi top, the edi skirt and the mondo top by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

crop top

just as i was headed into a dressing slump (when getting dressed becomes a chore rather than fun), rundholz's autumn/winter 2015 collections appeared online. before you jump to the conclusion that the slump was stopped in its track, let me say that, while i enjoyed browsing the collections and dreaming of future outfits, hoping these actions would pull me out of the slump, my hopes were dashed. i remain in the slump. as this isn't an unusual state of affairs, here's hoping this slump lasts no longer than any previous ones.

i am wearing the sundress and the sydney top by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

white is right dress, skirt and top

for at least two summers now, i have been threatening to lose my tip to toe black look in favour of a tip to toe white look. until this summer, something held me back from making good on my threat. this summer, i took the plunge. and now i realize what was holding me back. a tip to toe white look is very much a statement look (like a tip to toe black look was before it became ... well ... normal). i think i got more open stares wearing this outfit than i ever get wearing tip to toe black.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the amazing skirt and the casa jacket by kaliyana. my shoes are doc martens. my bag is by arzadesign.