Thursday, October 31, 2013

October Onomatopoeia

Wearing black and orange as a nod to Oct. 31.
The fuzziness (unintentionally captured by my blog photographer) is a tip of the hat to phantoms, spectres and wraiths.
Collection jacket. Factory jeans.
Boys' long-sleeve kaboom tee
Crewcuts boys' kaboom T-shirt from 2 years ago (I'm wearing size 14).
 
This is how I do high-low fashion, ha.
 
Boo, almost forgot the word of the day.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Wash and Wear

I won't say why or how, except I didn't cause it, but this icon trench was filthy. At first, I thought I'd relegate it for dire circumstances ... like if I knew I had to be packed onto a bus with a football team
that for some reason could not shower after a sweaty game.
But the coat was grungy enough I doubt I'd wear it even then.
Oh, I thought about taking it to the cleaners.
But I don't love the idea of spending a zillion dollars on something that may not come clean and I don't love the idea of dry cleaning chemicals. And since the football team scenario was unlikely, made one of those "what do I have to lose" decisions and threw it in the wash. Delicate cycle, cold water. Tumble dry low.
Surprise, suprise. It came out just fine.
And while it's not as crisp as before and should be lightly pressed,
I now happily wear it for the best situations.
I wore the washed trench over the above outfit when I went to:
With some good friends and we had pre-theater dinner here:
I ate every bit of:
British Columbia King Salmon
eggplant purée, soy bean, tamago, Thai curry and jasmine rice
Carried this:
Kate Spade book clutch.

And was not disappointed in any way. 
The evening far exceeded every expectation.
 
Many have wondered, some have asked and I said I'd try it so
I washed the minnie pant in bi-stretch wool.
Same way: delicate cycle, cold water, tumble dry low.
I measured before and after, the width shrunk by about 3/16".
Like jeans after they're washed and dried, they felt tightened up. 
Still quite wearable but more legging-like.
The bigger difference was the length, they're shorter by about 1/2".
 
 If you study the above carefully, you'll notice the more snug and bunched up washed minnie pant on the right. Slightly shorter.
For reference, I'm 5'2"-ish and wearing the regular length size 00.
Not sure if I prefer them before or after the wash and dry but I sure wish there was a way to shrink the waistband by about 2".
Then they'd be perfect. Like my recent evening out.
 
So have you had wash and wear dastardly disasters or surprise successes?

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Views on a Preview

My VPS sent a couple November previews.
This is the Rylan Blazer. The description [with my commentary]said: Sourced from the same heritage UK mills we use for our men's collection [hmm, sounds pricey] -- you're going to love the menswear inspired fit of the Rylan Blazer [It does look to be cut straight and a bit oversized on her, will I really love the fit? I like the purple with touches of ... is it red on the collar and edged along the front with fuchsia? Could be funky, could be fun ... we'll see.]
Part of the description: Yes, you can add another chambray piece to your wardrobe -- especially one with a fun new print. [Mickey knows my addiction and he's not gonna stop. VPS says the print is stars. I love chambray, I love stars. Guess I'll be adding this one. Dammit.]
This is not one of the preview images sent by my VPS but I just noticed it on the header for coats. I don't need another coat and a light colored one is so impractical but gosh that is a deliciously pretty color.
Maybe it will be a bad pink for my coloring. Maybe the cut of the garment will make me look like a linebacker. But at least I won't have to worry about stripes or a plaid pattern lining up correctly across seams.
 
What do you all think, thunk, thank? {excusez-moi, it's late}


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

You decide which is what. I'm shutting up
and letting the pictures tell the story.

I used to have that movie's theme song as my ringtone.
It always made people laugh.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Good Guys Wear White

If you're a Scandal fan, you celebrated the return of Olivia Pope and associates this past week. If you're not aware, for trashy intrigue, clever dialogue, crazy storyline twists and quirky characters, you might consider checking the show Thursday nights. Or catch it on demand. 
And I just heard repeats will be on Tuesdays, starting tomorrow.
It's not subtle symbolism OP (affectionately known as Liv) is often dressed in white. The show's creator wanted her character to stand out in the sea of dark colors that is the WDC uniform.
Pointing out that Liv is the "good guy" isn't lost on me. No siree.
Oops, off on a tangent. I really meant to talk about the white trench.
It may not be a white trench my girl crush Audrey is wearing,
but you get the idea; close enough.
Liz is wearing white but don't you think she's smoldering
bad-girl danger wrapped up in that trench?
Charlize strutting.
Kate. Of course.
J.Crew model.
My best impression.
And why I returned the bat wings bateau trench dress.

Mine is obviously not in the running but ... 
What is your favorite good guys outfit?
Do you, would you own a white trench?

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Santa Ana Saturday

This is the location of Palmer's summer home.
Thank goodness he and his family left months ago.
Because it would have been a wild ride in that little nest.
Here's the detail for part of our day.
Some local areas had wind gusts up to 70 mph.
 
Thank God, for letting us get through today
without some fool starting up a disaster.
---------------------
(weather update)
Arrggh.
But the winds have died down.
In some ways, it's a little bit like being in irons when sailing.
We might even get a touch of rain this week.