The First Day of Summer

Not really. But seasons happen a little later in SoCal (and why I'm always behind,

that's my excuse). Summer came roaring in on Thursday and this is what I wore.

The stripe popover is of a 100% cotton gauzy fabric. It looked cool and easy
and I thought of it as soon as I realized the day was going to be a scorcher.

I'd found a stash of my summer pants so the shirt became a topper for the white denim cropped matchsticks from last year or the year before.

 Now why is it I become incredibly messy when I wear white?

Not only did I discover some faint stains on one leg (I could have sworn they were clean ... unless I spilled my morning tea), I spilled coffee on the other leg. And at the end

of the day, found some bright yellow blobs on the back (did I sit on some mustard?

but I was only in my office chair and my car that day ...).

I once wore a white tee with a white jacket and carried a cream colored bag.

It must have been too much white karma because I splattered

marina sauce all over my tee and jacket and bag.
 

Outside and inside.
 

Luckily, I didn't get the sauce on the lining of the bag.

So I was able to wipe the leather clean, though I was still finding

sauce months later in little nooks and crannies.

Do you think we are actually clumsier when we wear white?

Or is it because every mistake shows up?

Know any tips or tricks for getting out stains you can pass on?

Happy Independence Day

Wearing red, white and blue.

And still loving these shoes.

Wishing you all a wonderful Fourth of July!

Hola Gondola

A printed stripe makes an unexpected cameo in this cheery spin-off of the classic peacoat and hello, no one will miss you if you wear it.

It's for you, my dear friends in blogland

why I'm wearing the Gondola stripe coat.

And doing the IRL tryout of the store image captured by jcrewismyfavstore.

The café capri in foulard colors don't seem to photograph well with the coat but here's a close-up look at them together:

In case you're wondering, I'm 5'2" wearing size 00.

Here's a shot with the coat worn buttoned:

And here I'm showing you just how wrinkled my shirt is:

The description continues with (my commentary in parentheses):

We started with a luxe wool crepe (it's most similar to J.Crew's wool crepe suiting for weight and texture) sourced from a Japanese mill, then printed over it in our exclusive nautical stripe—a rare technique that requires special craftsmanship to pull off (so the stripes are printed, not woven, not sure what that gets you except it's another point for its distinction?).

With cropped sleeves (you can see they are cropped even on my

petite height) and a classic nautical feel (yep, navy blue, red and white stripes), it's the perfect piece to pull you out of a wardrobe rut (it's obviously not a run-of-the-mill coat). Standing collar (what?! it is not). Flap pockets.

Functional buttons at cuffs. (Single vent in the back.)

Lined (fabric and lining composition below).

Hits at midthigh (not on petites). Part of J.Crew Collection

(see white, not black, Collection label pictured below,

along with the chain for hanging the coat). Import. Dry clean.

I'm not sure why I'm not in love with it. Maybe it's because I prefer single-breasted coats. Maybe it's because it doesn't have the tie-silk inside pocket, grosgrain ribbon lining waistband and unexpected fun print lining of yore.

It does have some nice buttons:

Or maybe I need to see it with more outfits ...

so come back to see these this week.

Does anyone else wonder why this coat is named Gondola stripe?

I could not find a clear connection. The traditional Venetian rowing boat used to be many colors but due to a law meant to restrain luxury or extravagance, they are now painted black. Pictures of them are often accented with bright blue and the red of the gondolier's kerchief, hatband and sash. Maybe the stripes are reminiscent of the boats lined up when docked. Or maybe it's a nod to the original "venetian blinds" -- the louvered shutters for closing windows of the cabins often on gondolas until the early 20th century.

Or maybe it's just a random name.

Whatever. It caused me to tell you something you didn't know before,

most likely. And maybe that will be the answer to some

million-dollar question someday.

Unlikely.

Foulard Foolery

Though these are not nearly the craziest pants I own, I was recently accused of wearing wild pants when I wore the café capri in foulard. Maybe it's because I outed them with the Blythe blouse in silk pebble dot and the tricolor Penelope mary janes.

Husby hated the outfit (well ... maybe hate is too strong a sentiment, but he didn't like it). I pouted but insisted on wearing as is while muttering "you just don't get it" and went off to work where a male colleague asked "who dressed you today?"

Ah well.

The capri pants are a favorite and came to me via charge-send sale priced plus 30% off from a B&M in Connecticut thanks to a tip from MB on the JCA post. I can understand why they received a lot of blog love.

The fabric is 98% cotton with 2% spandex in a weight heavy enough to stay crisp looking. The material has a sensual sateen finish that's a nice surprise to the touch. The pants seem to give a longer, slimmer silhouette than the other capris I have from JC.

 

I wore them again today. This time, with the Banana Republic soft-wash denim shirt (to continue making my way through the denim/chambray shirt reviews). I'm wearing the XXS petite and as you can see, it's good for those looking for a more fitted look. The denim is a dark wash (darker than it appears in this photo shot on a bright, sunny day) with only the slightest fading along the edges and no distressing (yay!). It is100% cotton. Soft. I like it.

So what do you think about my foray into pattern mixing? The foulard with the pebble dot felt very ethnic print to me.

It was indeed a venture outside of my usual area. And I'm not sure I'll enter that territory again anytime soon.

It's OK if you hate it too don't like it. ;)

The Short List

You know the lists. The ones that give you the top X things you should or should never do.

Somewhere I read a no-no was for shorties like me to wear cropped pants as regular length.

Hmmm ... well ... I did here and have for months committed this glamour don't. Intentionally.

And I'm old enough to say I don't care like a six year old.

Speaking of a child, the sweater is the Crewcuts snowdrop popover. Can you see that the polka dots are fuzzy? Details like that make me happy.

Worn with the perfect shirt in indigo floral, the café capri in wool (on sale now for a fabulous price) and the always fantastic Penelope mary janes.



What fashion faux pas do you make on purpose?

A Little Dorky

Have you ever looked at your blog photos once downloaded to view on the computer and get a completely different picture than how you thought you looked in an outfit?

This is one such instance.

If my hair would actually cooperate, and not fall down even with 82 bobby pins in it (are they still called bobby pins?) or cause a headache due to the weight of the hair, I'd put up a messy bun. And if I wore them, I could see wearing some serious looking black frame glasses with this.

Because the whole thing is just a little off.

Kind of like my day that started with a little work crisis when I checked my BlackBerry after getting out of bed. While the little crisis turned out to be way more complicated to resolve, a second problem developed along with an unexpected must-do urgent tasking thrown in and all of these conflicting with a meeting I had to attend.

That was the first hour of the workday. And that's how my day that was expected to be uneventful became a series of "oh [insert appropriate expression for aggravation or panic]" uttered.

The whole time, not feeling quite right since I dashed out the door without the usual two cups of tea.

At the end of the day, it was all fine. The only thing I'm bitterly disappointed about is I won't be able to take Friday off to spend with husby. Bitter. Disappointment. Since I'll be on a plane first thing Sunday morning and I won't be back home until next Sunday night. And my vacation hours earned continue to accumulate in the Bermuda Triangle (as opposed to for a vacation in Bermuda).

:(