Firecracker's Blog

. . . or maybe it's a continuous cycle for me. I am not a planner when it comes to my wardrobe, and I have a hard time projecting what I'm going to want to wear tomorrow, let alone the next season. Perhaps this is a characteristic of the extreme mood-based dresser.

Recently I got interested in finding a striped top to go with a patterned sweater I bought at AllSaints a couple of months ago (Emotive cardigan, in Finds). I have worn the sweater several times now that the weather has gotten cool enough. When I bought it, I also bought a short-sleeved striped tee that looked really good with it (Anna striped tee in Finds). So I've been trying to find something similar with long sleeves--even looking at fabrics, because I could easily make one. I went to our new-ish local Bloomie's--a tiny outpost of Bloomingdale's department store--the other day to return one of said striped tees, which just didn't work.

While there, I browsed around. There was some kind of sale going on. I found a pair of leopard-print jeans I wanted to try. I've had leopard print jeans on my mind since I tried a pair earlier in the season and they didn't work out. Not just any leopard would do; I liked subtler patterns, not high-contrast, and colors that tend toward olive browns. These fit the bill. But they didn't fit me too well; too skinny and too high rise. Since I was going into the fitting room anyway, I had also taken in a beautiful blue cashmere pullover that had caught my eye. It was meh on me, too long in the body. 

But now the nice sales associate, Richie, said he thought there was a pair of leopard print jeans I might like, in a subtle pattern. And a pretty blue cashmere sweater in a shorter length. They were really nice, styles I liked very much. The leopard print was indeed subtle, though it was not my preferred olive shade of brown, which I hadn't mentioned. I didn't know what I would wear the jeans with. The blue cashmere looked awfully good with them, though. And Richie brought a charcoal and white patterned, cropped (to high hip on short-waisted me) cardigan, which pattern-mixed surprisingly well with the jeans, too. He had other ideas, brought jackets for inspiration that reminded me of things I had at home.

I came home with all three pieces (although I traded the blue pullover for a dark, cool pine green one, which we decided was even a slightly better color on me), the first Finds below. I now also have a Bloomingdale's Loyallist membership (free, no card required) and a new favorite sales associate, who has already followed up with me. Oh, and lest you think I didn't feel the least guilt about about shopping for myself during the height of gift-giving season, I did pick up a little something for part of a friend's gift, too.

I spent a couple of hours with at-home try-ons yesterday, and I'll share some of the pics with you here. The colors are bad because of terrible lighting, but you can get an idea of the silhouettes anyway. 

The photos:

1) Leopard jeans (Rag & Bone, Shea high-rise straight leg), brown merino tee (Kit & Ace), brown and black belt (Suzi Roher), black merino short cardi (Kit & Ace), black booties with brown trim and red stitching (Pikolino)

2) Leopard jeans, brown merino tee, wine wool & cashmere cardi (Vince), black Pikolino booties

3) Leopard jeans, charcoal featherweight turtleneck (Eileen Fisher), charcoal and white patterned wool blend cardi (Cinq à Sept, Love Doodles Millie), pewter metallic lug-sole loafers (Pedro Garcia)

4) Leopard jeans, pale pink cropped cowl pullover (AllSaints Ridley), blush belt (AllSaints) [also liked it with pewter cutout belt (Fossil)]; taupe suede pointed low-heeled booties (Paul Green Willow)

5) Leopard jeans, pale pink cropped cowl pullover, black and brown belt, dark brown faux fur bomber (Save the Duck), taupe suede booties

6) Black with white pinstripe wool lantern pants (OSKA Renzi), cool off-white cotton oversized blouse (OSKA Raima), charcoal patterned cardi, black moto booties (Blondo Camila)

7) Slim medium wash jeans (Paige, Cindy high-waist straight ankle), off-white cotton oversized blouse, charcoal patterned cardi, charcoal patterned socks, charcoal patterned sparkly suede oxfords (Mephisto Sabatina)

8) White cargo jogger jeans (AllSaints Florence), charcoal turtleneck, charcoal patterned cardi, charcoal patterned socks, pewter lug-sole loafers

9) Leopard jeans, brown tee, brown & black belt, taupe floral denim jacket (made by me), black Pikolinos booties

10) Slim medium wash jeans, pine green cropped cashmere pullover (Theory), charcoal patterned suede oxfords (my outfit for the rest of the day)

11) Close up of the pullover

12) Close up of the cardi

13) Gray barrel jeans (AllSaints), offwhite textured mock turtleneck (AllSaints), charcoal patterned cardi, black cowboy boots

Thanks for looking! Comments, thoughts welcome. 

While shopping last week, I came upon an outfit formula that I really like: long shorts or jorts, tee, and blazer. I think it may become my summer uniform. I've always gravitated toward shorts in the summer, but I've struggled to feel very put-together in them. I know the blazer won't be great for the hottest of days, but I can switch to a breezy dress then. For most Seattle summer days that are warm enough to bare skin, this formula should work.

Here are some try-ons I did today with some recent purchases, and others that I've had for a while. I've just bought a couple of light neutral blazers at Evereve, one a stretch-linen ivory with black pinstripe and the other a knit in gray-tinted oatmeal. Like the two off-white-ish faux leather jackets I bought recently, I liked both of these blazers, and I decided they are different enough to justify keeping both. The knit one is a 3-season piece for Seattle. The linen one is very summery.

This week, I'm headed to the East Coast for a few days, and I may encounter a day or two of shorts weather. I will pack the Pilcro jorts, along with the AllSaints blazer. I'm excited to finally get some more wear out of this blazer, which I love but haven't worn much. (I'm planning to wear the blazer and matching pants on the plane.)

Photos 1-7: Pilcro jorts (Myra Low-Rise Carpenter Jeans), with different blazers, tees and footwear.

Photos 8-11: AGolde cutoffs (90's Shorts, Ruin wash).

Photo 12: black bermuda shorts (Vince).

Photos 13-14: dark wash jeans shorts (Madewell, Bermuda Jean Shorts, Deardorff wash).

Photo 15: light wash jeans shorts (Madewell, Baggy Jean Shorts).

Photos 16: shopping outfit, cream jeans (Paige, Cindy Straight-Leg with zip pockets); dark rose tee (Kit & Ace, Soho); dark rose cardigan (made by me); cream cross-body handbag (Minor History); cream & animal print sneakers; blush belt (AllSaints).

Blazers

Olive knit (AllSaints, Aleida Lightweight Tri Blazer)

Ivory pinstripe stretch linen (Evereve, Taylor Pinstripe Blazer)

Oatmeal knit (Faherty, Inlet

not shown, but a possible part of summer outfit formula: arty boyfriend blazer in cotton canvas (NY77)

Graphic tee (Madewell x Kit Agar, Oversized Tee); dark patterned tee (AllSaints, Caladesi Anna Tee); black & taupe striped tee (Evereve, Emily Striped Tank in neutral)

Footwear
Cream & neutral snakeprint sneakers (Cole Haan, Grand Pro Topspin); taupe and black animal print loafers (Paul Green, Belinda Pointed Toe Loafer); cream casual loafers (27 Edit, Helen Chain Loafer); olive gray & brown half-d'Orsay peeptoe shoes (Cydwoq, Costa).

After last summer, I thought I might pass on the Madewell shorts. They are very wide-legged, and they had gotten kind of big. They are fitting better now, and I think the addition of a blazer helps the look a lot, so they may stay with me for another summer.

I envision wearing other sandals, other tees, etc., too. I have ordered a pair of off-white denim shorts from Evereve, by Ba&sh, which I'm hopeful will work out. 

I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

Angie's post a while back about The Visual Advantages of Shorter Tops resonated with me. She said "Grazing the hipbone or sitting just below the waist, untucked tops work well with skirts, pants, and jeans with volume and higher waists." Because I'm high-waisted, I find a lot of tops are not quite at that magic length on me. Usually I make them work by semi-tucking or tucking them in, and sometimes also tucking and blousing them over the waistband.

I ordered this AllSaints shirt a while back, and kept it because I loved the print. I thought it would be a great low-key festive piece to have on hand for holiday get-togethers. Then I didn't wear it; I would always pass over it in favor of something else.

Sometimes it takes me a while to realize the length is the problem. Angie's post made me wonder if I'd like this shirt better at a shorter length. I tried it on, decided on a new length, and pinned it. As I've mentioned before, I dislike doing alterations, so of course I procrastinated. Fast forward to now, several months later, and well past the holidays, and I finally hemmed it.

This fabric is not easy to work with, and despite my painstaking efforts to mark it evenly all around, serge off the bottom right along my marked line, and turn it up twice to make a meticulous rolled him with my edge-stitching foot on the sewing machine, I was not happy with the results. it looked uneven in the front. And then, come to think of it, the back looked uneven also. And maybe I had taken off too much! Aack. I thought it was destined for donation.

But I had nothing to lose, so I tried to fix it. I ripped out part of the hem in back and in front, re-serged, re-sewed, tried it on my dress form, and it looked even. Then I tried it on myself again, and eureka! I had a shirt I might actually wear. And you know what? The sides of the shirt-tail are right at that sweet spot Angie described--just at the hipbone. I can wear the shirt untucked, and it looks good over high-waisted pants with volume.

And that's what I wore today, out to lunch with a friend. Don't you like a tale with a happy ending?

Photos:

1: The shirt before hemming

2: After hemming, worn with black drapy denim lantern pants with off-white top-stitching (made by me); off-white open-stitch cardigan (AllSaints); black moto boots (Blondo). Not pictured: Olive utility jacket (Lauren Ralph Lauren); silver cross body bag (AllSaints).

I was taken with the jorts on Angie's post about Denim Trends for 2025. I found some at Anthropologie, and they just arrived today. They fit perfectly, and I am so excited--I love them!

Here are my quick try-ons, with a cardigan sweater (AllSaints) that can work for winter or summer and that I'm wearing as a pullover.

1-3: Jorts (Pilcro, Myra) with my (new) cowboy boots, black studded belt, and tall socks (or tights), for a cooler-weather look

4: with the boots and bare legs for a warmer weather look

5: with black sandals (Dansko) for summer

6: with cream loafers (27 Edit), blush belt (AllSaints), also for summer

7-8: Bonus pics of today's outfit. New relaxed straight jeans (Levis 555 men's, Baby Blue wash); peacock blue boucle pullover (made by me); stone suede studded belt (AllSaints); taupe suede booties (Paul Green).

As I mentioned in my comments on Angie's blog post today, I have a pair of cowboy boots that I've wanted to return to wearing lately, but I've found they are no longer comfortable. As in, they actively hurt, specifically my ankles. I recall that being a concern in the past, but I think I got over it by wearing Superfeet inserts. Now, even with the inserts, I cannot wear these boots. I tried again today, when I went . . . shopping for new cowboy boots!

My old boots are 14 or 15 years old. I wore them quite a lot during a few years when I was wearing bootcut jeans and pants. Then I wore them a bit with skinnies. And I haven't worn them for several years.

Today I went to a store where I could try some on in person, and I'm glad I did. Some of the styles I saw online and liked just didn't work for me. I came home with two pairs by Ariat. I can return one (or both), as long as I don't wear them outside.

The first pair in Finds are my old ones. Very pretty, but I did find them a bit limited, with the colors. (Like, I'd want to have some blue or red in my outfit, or at least not clash.)

I brought home the Heritage Round Toe, which has pretty, yet subtle stitching on it, and the Round Up Ryder, which has a black foot and silver shaft. Very different styles.

I haven't yet tried them on with outfits at home, but here are
photos from in the store. I like both, and am interested to hear what
you all think. I would wear them with straight leg jeans like the ones I'm wearing below, or wide-leg jeans, or dresses. Maybe dress pants.

Photos 1-4: Ariat Heritage Round-Toe (with my old boot on the other foot)

Photos 5-8: Ariat Round Up Ryder

Photo 6: closeup of the stitching on the Heritage

What are your thoughts?

Today I got put on my new Everlane Barrel Utility jeans, which had finished line-drying from their initial wash, and I went out shopping.  Inspired by Angie's post and the discussion on Keeping Items that Don't Fit I thought I would look for some new jeans to replace other ill-fitting ones.

The ones I had in mind this time were black. I have dark black and faded black jeans that no longer fit well--3 pairs in all: Banana Republic Ranger Straight (faded black), Levis Wedgie Straight, and Madewell Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg (both dark black).

I looked at Madewell first, because they have a deal right now for $30 off a new pair of jeans if you bring in an old pair (any brand) to recycle. Usually they offer this deal at $20 off. So I carried along an old pair. I considered their Darted Barrel-Leg style in washed black. I wasn't sold on them. I liked the mid-rise fit (once I sized down enough--3 down from my Perfect Vintage Wide-Legs, which I think are about one size too large for me now). But I was unsure about the slight bow-legged effect of the style on me. (No pics.)

Next stop: the Levis store. I had in mind just getting a size down in the Wedgie Straights. I tried on the dark black wash like my old ones, and a gray wash that would be more like my BR Rangers. I tried both the Wedgie style and 501. Oddly enough, the Wedgies a size down felt too small and didn't give the look I was after. The 501s, on the other hand, were just right, and they come in longer lengths, so I could get them full length. Score!

Next stop: back to Everlane to see what they had in black. I tried the Mid-Way Jean, which I tried in dark blue the other day but had passed over for the barrel jeans. I tried a size up, but decided the same size as the barrel jeans was the right choice. I also tried the Way-High version (too high for me) and the Cheeky (a better fit), but the wider leg on the Mid-Way won me over. Another score!

Photos from the day. Apologies for the poor quality, but I think even with the bad lighting and focus, the difference in fit may be discernible. 

1-2: WIW shopping. New Everlane Barrel Utility jeans, with olive cashmere pullover (Madewell); olive suede booties (LaCanadienne); olive rain jacket (Lauren Ralph Lauren); olive cross-body bag (AllSaints).

3-4: old Levis Wedgie jeans.

5-6: new Levis 501s.

7-8: old Madewell wide-legs.

9-10: new Everlane wide-legs.

I'm feeling good to have these well-fitting basics in my jeans wardrobe!
Jeans are such a staple for my style. I will probably hang on to the
old Levis Wedgie jeans for a while longer, in a holding area in my
closet, where they don't interfere with my current wardrobe. It has been
about a year since my size changed from a nutrition and workout
overhaul. The other 2 pairs have enough fit issues it's not worth
keeping them.

I think the 2 new pairs are keepers. Just had to share my excitement, and a look at these styles in case others are considering them.

When Angie posted inspiration outfits in burgundy, black, and cream, I knew there were lots of possibilities in my wardrobe for putting the formula into action.

Here are a few I've worn in the last couple of weeks.

1-3: Cream floral mesh top (Z Supply); burgundy zip cardigan (Treasure & Bond). Worn with black jeans (Levis, Wedgie) and gray nubuck booties (Mephisto) (pic1) to ride my bike to a coffee shop. Worn with white cargo jeans (AllSaints) to sit around the house afterward. Tried this outfit with black Chelsea boots (Dune London) and burgundy nubuck booties (Mephisto).

4-5: Burgundy, cream, and pale aqua mod patterned mock turtleneck pullover (Maeve); black lantern cargo jeans (OSKA); gray nubuck booties; stone boiled wool hoodie (OSKA); stone crossbody bag with brushed silver chain strap (AllSaints). Pics in dressing room at Everlane, where I was exchanging jeans. Not sure if this pullover is burgundy; it leans quite purple. But it goes with burgundy corduroys that I have. I'm counting it in!

6-7: stone pants (OSKA); abstract rose patterned tee in stone, burgundy, and black (made by me); burgundy cardigan (Vince); navy quilted coat (Lauren Ralph Lauren); stone gray nubuck booties again; sage crossbody bag (Madewell).

8-9: black straight-leg jeans (The Ranger, Banana Republic); abstract pattern tee in burgundy, tan, charcoal, brown (made by me); burgundy zip cardigan again; cream, beige, burgundy, and green tweedy stripe oversized bomber (Sézanne); tan suede monkstrap shoes (Munro).

I could wear this combination of colors without repeating an exact outfit for at least a month. But I won't--there are so many other things I want to wear--and have, in the last couple of weeks! It's a good way to get me thinking about new ways to wear burgundy, though. Thanks, Angie!

I mentioned on Angie's blog post today a wardrobe holeI have recently identified: a pair of dark wash, straight-leg, full-length jeans. I have a pair by G-Star Raw that have been workhorses, and lately they have become too loose, in a way that doesn't feel stylish to me now. I wear them, but I don't feel fab in them like I used to. I won't get rid of them, but I would like an alternative that goes with the same things in my wardrobe and feels better.

Shopping with a friend today, I tried on and bought Everlane barrel jeans in a dark wash to fill that hole. They aren't an exact replacement for my G-Star jeans, but I think they could fill the need. I have newer jeans that are cropped dark wide-legs (Paige Anessa) and some that are a much slimmer medium-dark straight leg (Paige Cindy); both are nice, but they don't serve the same purpose as the G-Star jeans.

Pictures below are 

(1-3 ) the G-Star Raw jeans and 

(4-6 ) the Everlane Utility Barrel jeans.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts about the new jeans versus the old ones.

Also, what I am wearing with the jeans and what I wore shopping:

A pullover that I just finished re-making from a tunic that I made years ago. I was tired of the tunic look but still loved the print and sweater fabric. So I shortened it and added a welt to the bottom, long cuffs (to fold back), and a mock turtleneck, out of olive ribbed sweater knit remnants I had. I love my new pullover! Here is the original tunic in action: how I wore it to go to a Portland YLF meetup.

(7-8) Shopping outfit. I wore the remade pullover with my new black fleece knit pants (NY77) from a recent shopping spree at a local boutique; my olive rain coat (Lauren Ralph Lauren); olive cross-body bag (AllSaints); and black moto booties (Blondo).

(9) The lower part of the tunic

Edited to add:

(10-12): size down in Everlane barrel jeans. I think these are better.

Seattle boutique Sandy Lew had a trunk sale this week with designers from NY77 on hand to show their wares. I went today and came home with three pieces.

Here are the dressing room pics and some try-ons I did at home.

Textured, matelassé reversible coat. Reverses from muted jacquard stripes in olive, chartreuse, rust, and mauve to black.

1-3: in dressing room

4-5: with reptile print dress (AllSaints) and olive distressed suede boots (Donald Pliner)

Black knit pants with zippered pocket, elastic waist, ribbing halfway around ankle, and seams down the back legs. These feel like sweat pants but have a polished casual look. I didn't do try-ons at home.

6: dressing room pic

Arty boyfriend blazer. Cotton lightweight canvas fabric, dyed with subtle streaks of brown and gray on the dark charcoal/off-black background, and an abstract wide streak of light gray running vertically from shoulder to hem on the right side. I tried it a lot of ways at home, and it's a little tricker to style than I thought it would be.

7-8: dressing room pics (last two with the black zip-pocket pants)

9: w/ light gray mock turtleneck sweater and medium-dark wash jeans (Paige)

10: w/ ikat-patterned gray, black, white, and taupe tee (made by me) and black wash denim lantern pants (OSKA)

11: w/ medium gray ribbed turtleneck (Banana Republic) and dark wash straight jeans (G-Star)

12: w/ off-white cargo jeans and dark abstract patterned tee (both AllSaints)

13: w/ earthy wavy abstract stripe tee (made by me) and blush wash cropped straight jeans (AllSaints)

14: w/ reptile print dress (AllSaints)

Both the coat and the blazer are statements, and I can see wearing them over relatively simple outfits with less going on than a lot of what I've tried here. I was trying to push the boundaries and see how far I could go with them.

Oh, and what I wore shopping (inspired by Angie's post Outfit Formula: Very Berry and Plum).

15-17: Plummy brown herringbone cotton lantern pants (OSKA); gray, brown, and plum abstract patterned mesh tee (I forget the brand, but it's from Sandy Lew); burgundy wool cardigan (Vince); navy quilted coat (Lauren Ralph Lauren); brown leather lace-up booties (Jo Ghost); black and dark brown leopard print backpack (AllSaints).

UPDATE: I was pretty set on wearing the black floral to the wedding and the snakeprint dress for the tavern gathering the night before. And then I started debating with myself again. I'm not sure why. But I got out a dress I've had for a number of years that could also work. Photos added onto the discussion below.

I went to AllSaints today to look for a dress to wear to my niece's wedding in Seattle in May. Dress code is "cocktail." I was attracted to AllSaints 2-in-1 dresses, which pair a pretty dress with a coordinating cropped pullover. I have a blush pullover from AllSaints that I thought I might use to create that look, if I could find or make the right dress to go with it. And I like a lot of their dress styles in general. My goal was to find something that I could wear with blush pumps and matching bag that I already have.

I was pleasantly surprised with the number of options the store had in stock for me to try. I narrowed the choice to two, which I brought home to consider further.

Photos 1-8: I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep this one, called Jules Tanana, a black floral silk chiffon sleeveless near-maxi with some interesting asymmetric panel detail in solid black. I can layer my blush pullover over it, 2-in-1 style, and remove the pullover if I get warm. I can see being able to wear it year-round, with different shoes, boots, and jackets.

Photos 9-11: I also liked (and brought home) the Nora Waimea in snakeskin print, a body-con midi in mesh knit with diagonal ruching on the lower front. I wouldn't wear the pullover for the wedding with this one, but I brought home an ivory cardigan that the sales staff and I thought could work. I can also see this dress working with different jackets and boots for most of the year.

In some photos of the two dresses above, I'm wearing a necklace and earrings I bought from AllSaints, also: the Darcy beaded two-tone necklace and Eryka crystal huggie hoop earrings. (Finds aren't working for me on the AllSaints site.)

Photo 12: I liked the Hanna Sanibel, a mesh knit black floral mock-neck A-line midi, but not as well as the other two.

Photo 13: And the Tia Colca was gorgeous, but the colors were a little too warm for me, and the fit around the shoulders wasn't as comfortable. I think Angie has this dress in a different colorway.

I thought you might like to see the try-ons, and I'm open to your thoughts.