If It Ain't Baroque

Don't fix it. So we repeated having dinner here.

A quiet moment here before the theater.

And once again it was a wonderful evening.

Notice all the curls and swirls at every stop?

Except for Gaston, who'd be obnoxious IRL but hilarious in the show. Well ... maybe his rippling biceps fit the theme too.

There were quite a few dressed as Belle in the audience.

But I wore my trousers in fabric fit for lavish drapes or upholstery.

And though we gave a standing ovation, we were suprised the cast didn't appear for a curtain call (slaps knee for Gigi).

 

So how goes it, has the first week of 2014 been a beauty or a beast?

December Dither

 With more couth I would've worn this outfit for Thanksgiving: 

the Collection café capri in antiqued floral, a cambridge crewneck from 2008 and the antique gold mary jane heels so wonderful I no longer pine for the spencer patent trimmed crackle metallic mary janes 

aka Emma Pillsbury's favorite shoes.

I think the antique floral print is rich and splendid. The fabric, 76% silk and 33% cotton, is quite substantial. It feels like two layers woven together. Could very well be since the reverse side barely shows any print show-through and has a different texture.

Highly recommended if you like crazy fancy pants.

Showing the shoes snapped up from Yoox but they are no more there.

Is it wrong to be in love with a pair of shoes?

 As threatened promised, here's what I wore for Thanksgiving:

This year's was a wonderful confluence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah that I was completely unaware of since I'd been buried in work.

But look what we saw as we're fixin' the candied yams.

Is this one of those signs Jody talked about?

What the weatherman tells us for today.

And what it looks like.

But I'll be planning and packing for a week-long trip to places where the weather is difficult for me to imagine.

This (washable? faux fur) is likely the foundation for my trip.

With apologies in advance to ruth, Naomi, Heidi and anyone else I will likely offend, I will likely wear this on travel days:

With any luck, I may see some ...

That's a surprise snow storm the last time I visited my dad. 
Spending time with him will be the very best part of my trip. :)

 

Stay safe and warm and don't let the stresses take over.

Let me know what you're up to and I'll try to keep up.

See y'all in about a week.

A Moment in Time

Spurred on by Heidi's post on renovations and roses,

I clipped these from my garden and brought them to work. Why did I not do this every week all spring and summer long? They've been blooming away at the side of the house where we rarely ever see them.

Now I'm reminded to enjoy their glorious moments
and take more time to smell the roses.

Oh no. I'm dreading a Wally B moment. He recounted that here.

A pair of mine are missing. They did not come back from the wash and I've retraced my steps several times, double-checked the washer and dryer at least three times and shook out and cross-examined every item in that same load of laundry thinking they stuck. Nope.

I was blog surfing and somehow came upon this. I don't know who these ladies are but unlike Kate below who was having a rather pretty time fighting the elements, the one in the pale café au lait dress was captured in an unfortunate moment against the wind.

Kate was attending a forum where experts addressed cyber bullying; self-harm; special education needs; raising aspirations, access and achievements; and preventing addiction to build emotional resilience and strength. While the attention is likely on her Marilyn moment, perhaps some greater awareness will come of the worthy discussion to nurture good mental health in children.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to wear the sequin bow pant to work. Can I plead a momentary lapse of good judgment?



Sequin Saunter

This might be a meander. There are 3 things to talk about with this post but I have no clever ways to sew them together.

1. The anniversary of my blog

2. A little giveaway to say thank you

3. A few things to show if you're considering them at 50% off.

First thing, first. I wore full-on sequins to work.

Sorry if I'm offending your good senses, it's a tradition for my blog anniversary I suppose. Factory draped sequin tee. Factory skinny jean in black. Madewell heartdot boyshirt. Clifton booties also worn here.

Next, let's get to the fun stuff.

To celebrate 2 years with you and 100+1 followers (from what I can tell), I'm giving away a $25 J.Crew gift card.

Second prize is a bottle of lavender hydrosol, one of my most favorite things. Described as sweet and happy, a light spritz (OK even if wearing makeup) makes me calmed and refreshed.

Botanical Insights is the sister-in-law of a colleague and she lives by a field of lavender. Sigh. Sounds lovely.

Third prize is a Factory umbrella that I hope you don't mind me limiting to the U.S. and maybe Canada due to possible shipping challenges. I'll find a good substitute if you're an international winner. 

Here's how to enter ... please leave a comment for each of the following by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Nov. 10:

1. If you're a follower

2. If you add me to your blog roll

3. If you tell me why you should have another entry (1 per person).

Be sure to leave your email if I can't contact you through your profile.

I will generate a couple random numbers for the winners and announce with a post on Nov. 12. (I hope I haven't forgotten anything important that makes a mess of this.)

 Third stop: J.Crew's 50% off end-of-season styles.

Toothpick jean in garment-printed floral - thicker denim,

pattern is more subtle IRL. I like them.

Liberty toothpick jean in Matilda tulip floral- fits like the other Liberty printed jeans, the pattern has a tendency to add some width,

which could be why they are still around?

 Ruffled rhinestone top - I'm wearing petite 00 and with the Collection café capri in Ratti regatta print. I like the top with a jacket,

the Classic schoolboy blazer in navy in this case.

A close-up of the bedazzling. IRL the blue "jewels" are more like sapphires, they don't photograph true.

 

I've come to a dead end so I'll say bye for now. :)



For Your Eyes Only

No way would I be seen out in public in this getup. I'm only putting myself out there for you, my bloggy buddies, as another public service.


The ponte peplum top is OK but I'm talking about the girls' everyday leggings in big dipper. IMHO, wearing leggings as pants can be nearly obscene and here I am wearing them as crazy pants. Please know I'm only doing it to work in as many items from the Instant Gratification Sale as possible. Wearing girls' size 14; I'm XXS in women's leggings. They are plenty in the rise, the waistband is just a tad below my natural waist, and they're more than long enough as the hem is rolled three times here. I'm thinking you may see them with a red-and-white striped tunic come next July 4. Just warning ya.


Anyway, I got the leggings mostly to wear for doing housework with a work shirt. IRL, I'd have the sleeves of the selvedge chambray shirt rolled up. Again, the PSA is to show how long the unbuttoned sleeves are on somebody 5'2". For less dorky looks and more details on the shirt, see this post.

Back to the peplum top, think I remember quite a bit of blog love for it. Agree I like the substantial material, I like the fit. I like how the peplum is probably just right. But I don't like how I'll probably never wear it without something over it. Would the peeping peplum be a problem? What would you pair with it instead? While the arm hole is not too low, see how it lifts at the shoulder? With no bra strap holders that would've been a nice touch, I'd constantly fuss with it and drive myself crazy. BTW, the top has a heavy-duty full zip covered by a placket held down with a small hook in the back. It will take some blind luck to hook up or you'll need the help of someone with nimble fingers.

Nope you're not going to see me wearing the silk cami or the stretch suiting tee by themselves in pics or IRL. My favorite thing about the cami is the adjustable straps. The cami is great under sheer tops and as sleepwear for hot nights. As for the suiting tee ... anyone wearing it to work as a standalone top should be sent home, at least if wearing the white or mineral pink. Holy smokes it's extremely close fitting and the knit is sheer. It's fine and silky and feels like lingerie. I'm thinking it's a good layering piece for itchy sweaters or wearing under bare tops like this and this.

OK, I've got to get a move on if I'm ever going to finish ... a review/discussion/IRL of the keeper chambray shirt and faded chambray popover is at this post. More talk about the keeper is here. Next up is the oxford boy shirt in polka dot. It's a white shirt with subtle polka dots. I'll confess I have two of them. I wear it a lot.



Another classic is the merino tippi sweater, it's the sweater version of a basic T-shirt. I like it best with a basic T-shirt. See here.

 

 

It's late and I'm running out of steam, does anyone else do this ... hurry up and finish with a weak ending?

Girls' sequin-pineapple stripe tee and Nolita jacket in white pictured above. The 1035 trouser in superfine cotton chatted and pictured here.

 

I'll come back tomorrow to fill in some details. And show you the 1035 jacket in superfine cotton, classic ballet flats and western denim shirt.

I know, I'm such a tease. :)

--------------------------------

 

I'm back ... and if you didn't notice yesterday, they snuck in a few more items into the Instant Gratification Sale. One was the western denim shirt. I had planned to cover that in my never-ending chambray/denim shirt sMaCkDoWn, but I'll make a few comments now if it helps you one way or another while it's on sale. I know, some don't care for the western details and some worry about the snaps unsnapping too easily for a wardrobe malfunction. Personally, I love them and found the snaps to hold tight. Recall a western denim shirt a couple years ago getting complaints about it being shrunken and too short, that's not the case now. See SU 11 on left and the current one on the right:

Though not quite to the same scale, you can see it's now a darker wash and cut longer and roomier.

Speaking of shirts, here's the stretch perfect shirt. Especially for folks needing special sizing such as petite or tall, this is a great time to get it in basic colors that rarely go to sale. If you're wondering, the boy shirts are cut straighter (as the name implies) and the perfect shirts curve in at the waist along the side seams with vertical darts in the back to further trim the shirt.

I'd not likely have chosen my navy blue 1035 jacket in superfine cotton to wear with the crazy jeans and white shirt but for you, I had to today. It does wrinkle but I love the superfine cotton. The fabric is 100% cotton and woven in such a way you'd swear it contained elastane or spandex. I also love the heavier weight and drape of the material. One thing, because my mother taught me well, I rejected the white jacket since the lapel notches were not symmetrical.

It's now the classic leather ballet flats in a foot race to the finish line, ha! I'd ordered two pairs of the same size and while the admiral blue *seemed* to be the correct fit, the dazzling sun were definitely too big as I stepped out of them with every step. I say the blue seemed to be the right fit but I worry. Here's a tell-tale pic, see how shallow they are? Not much to wrap around your feet.

They do remind me of what I can remember of real ballet slippers from when I took lessons as a little girl. The real ballet slippers fit tightly so they mold to your feet as you dance, the better to point toes or feel the floor. As the leather stretches, the string that ends in the bow can tighten the shoe so it becomes like second skin. Well, the bows on the ballet flats are decorative and thus I worry I'll eventually end up stepping out of the blue ones as well. I'll try some a size down ... we'll see how that goes.

 

P.S. I wiped out at least an hour's stuff, either Blogger crashed or I clicked the wrong button. Think this is the last time I'll try a long and complicated post. Do these zillions of pics take forever to load too?