Firecracker's Blog

Finally we have some good summer dress weather! I made a couple of bright summer dresses recently, and now I have the opportunity to wear them. Yesterday I wore the linen dress, and today I am wearing the t-shirt dress.

When I made the linen one, I thought, wow, this is bright! But the brightness is still somewhat muted, so I felt like it suited me. I like it.

The t-shirt dress is a much brighter bright, to me, and I'm not sure yet how I feel about it. Maybe it would be better as a nightgown. Your thoughts?

The outfits:

1) Floral linen short-sleeved shift dress (made by me, from Allie Olson Coram Shirt and Dress pattern); silver platform sandals (Mephisto).

2) Floral knit short-sleeved t-shirt dress (made by me, from Style Arc Mary Dress pattern); silver platform sandals (Mephisto).

Totally inspired by Angie on today's outfit. Well, I have to say anytime I wear white jeans, I think of Angie.

The outfit: Off-white jeans (Levis, Wedgie Icon); blue and white finely striped pullover blouse (made by me); off-white high top leather sneakers (Paul Green); white watch (Casio); blue and white striped earrings (artisan, gift); bird-print bandana as mask.

I've been omitting lipstick during this physical distancing and mask-wearing time. I've found lipstick and masks (or scarf-masks) don't mix well.

Thanks for looking! I appreciate any thoughts you wish to share.

I've made a few t-shirts during these days at home. This one is from one of my favorite patterns, which enables me to use beloved remnants from past projects. I wore this outfit at home and on a bike ride to the post office and to stop for coffee and a treat to go.

The outfit: Pieced t-shirt in purple plaid-like sweater knit, plus solid purple and gray-and-cream-striped jersey knits (made by me); dark boyfriend jeans (AG), gray metallic lace-up booties (Homers).

Thanks for looking! Any thoughts you wish to share are appreciated.

Here are a couple of then-and-now looks, with boyfriend jeans. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose!

I think YLF introduced me to boyfriend jeans, when they became a trend. I loved the idea of them then, and I love them now. I searched high and low for just the right style for me. My first love was a pair by Fidelity.

2013 (photos 1-2): The Fidelity boyfriend jeans, with a black, gray, and cream blurry-starry print long-sleeved tee (made by me), a gray quilted leather peplum jacket (Halogen), black shimmer-suede oxfords (Naya), and a studded statement-buckle jeans belt (Bed Stu). [the jacket in photo 2 is different, but I wanted you to see the back of the jeans.]

& 2019 (photo 3): Same tee as above, with new favorite boyfriend jeans, a slimmer style with slightly higher rise (Citizens of Humanity, Emerson), fuzzy animal print cardigan in cream and gray (Free People), a newer favorite studded jeans belt (Suzi Roher), and black Chelsea boots (Dune London).

2014 (photos 4-5): Fidelity boyfriend jeans, ivory long sleeved tee (Caslon), metallic linen asymmetrical vest (made by me), taupe belt, belted ballet flats (AGL).

& 2017 (photos 6-7): Citizens of Humanity boyfriend jeans, teal long sleeved tee (Caslon), ivory boiled-wool vest (made by me), brown lace-up booties (Jo Ghost). Vest is from the same pattern as the one above.

2014 (photos 8-9): Slim dark boyfriend jeans (KUT, Catherine--a YLF favorite!), with a long sleeved tee (Caslon) and print boiled-wool cap-sleeve top (made by me), metallic high-top sneakers (Paul Green).

& 2019 (photos 10-11): Slim higher-rise dark boyfriend jeans (AG), with pattern-striped cotton cap-sleeve top (made by me), metallic snake-print sling-back booties (Gentle Souls). Top made from the same pattern as the one above.

I tried Angie's outfit formula of Midi Dress and Stompy Boots. I had tried this dress and boots together in the past but didn't really like the look; I switched to some tall boots instead. This time I decided it was okay, and I wore the outfit to work.

The outfit: Olive lantern-shaped dress and brown-black boiled wool asymmetric vest (both OSKA); print Doc Martens in olive and brown tones.

I might wear this outfit again. I think I need to shorten the dress by a few inches. It's kind of a chore, so I keep putting it off.

Thanks for looking! I welcome any thoughts you might have.

I read Angie's post today before I got dressed for work, so I had her concepts in mind as I put the outfit together. I planned to wear this olive dress today, but I wasn't sure what accessories or footwear I would add. The dress can be kind of a blank slate for me, as I have lots of warm- and cooler-weather pieces to add to it. (Which is a good thing, because I will be wearing it often through December, as it is part of my work "uniform" this season.)

Today I was wearing my white sports watch, and when I put on the dress, I liked the crisp white watch with it. So I decided to try my stone colored knit double-breasted jacket, and then added cream-and-taupe sandals that also echoed the light tones of the watch and jacket. The jacket and sandals are bookends, and I would say the sandals also bookend my hair--thus, I used idea #4, bookending, from Angie's list. The chunky sports watch with a dress and jacket is a nod to  #2, irregular juxtaposition, and I would say the jacket itself incorporates this idea, as it is a double-breasted blazer made out of a very casual fabric, linen-cotton knit, with raw edges. To go further with #2, I might have worn my white sneakers, but I felt there was enough sporty-casual going on already here.

On the dressy or more feminine side, I added brass-toned earrings, a statement-y bolo necklace with a stone that echoes the light tones of the jacket, and a brassy bracelet. I like to wear brass jewelry with the color olive; I prefer brass to gold, because it's more casual and muted. Perhaps this would be considered shine, as in #1, color, pattern, texture, and shine, but it is shine on my terms, i.e., not too shiny! I defnitely thought of #1 when I added the bag with a burnished pewter faux leather and mixed denim-based prints. I feel like this bag really adds something to this otherwise pretty quiet, subtle outfit.

The pieces: Dress Jove in olive and jacket Bony, in pearl (OSKA); cream and taupe sandals (P.Monjo); bolo necklace (Madewell); brass earrings (Marjorie Baer); brass bracelet (Jenny Bird); white sports watch (Casio, Baby G); mixed print bag with pewter faux leather base and handles (made by me).

It was fun to invent and analyze an outfit using Angie's tried-and-true tips for creating interest. Thanks for looking, and I welcome any comments or ideas you'd like to share.

Here's what I wore for my birthday dinner this evening. It's a dress I bought in Paris several years ago and wore on my birthday during that trip. So it has sentimental value to me, even though I don't wear it often. I like to use dinner out for an occasion as a reason to dress a little more than usual, even if I could just go to the restaurant in jeans.

The outfit:

Gray silk layered low-waisted dress; nude pumps (AGL); blush bag (Nordstrom); blush and rose-gold watch (Olivia Burton); fresh-water pearl bracelet (Lucky); rose gold necklace and rose gold with abalone earrings (Kendra Scott); bone linen sweater (Nic & Zoe).

Thanks for looking!

I appreciate any thoughts you wish to share.

I decided to try Angie's Outfit Formula: Casual Summer Palazzo Pants today, for a dinner party with family. I used formula 1: palazzo pants with a sleeveless shell and flat sandals.

The outfit: Black split-leg cropped palazzo pants (can't recall the brand, but they are several years old); boxy linen shell in olive, turquoise, silver-grey and black (made by me); flat ankle-strap standals (Eileen Fisher).

How did I do? Do you think these are palazzo pants? They don't seem quite like the current trend.

Thanks for looking!

As I read Angie's post this morning, Team Cropped or Team Full-Length Pants, I had to chuckle, because I'm wearing cropped flare jeans today, as a break from my cropped straight high-waisted jeans. I wear cropped pants a lot more than full-length ones these days. They are an easy style to wear in Seattle, as Angie pointed out, because you don't have to worry about soggy hems.

Today's outfit is more about the new tunic, rather than the jeans. I would have worn it with white jeans, but I'm going to be bicycling to piano lesson, and I feel less anxious about wearing darker blue jeans when bicycling.

The outfit: blue and white striped-floral tunic-length blouse (Sewing Workshop Berwick St. Tunic, made by me), cropped flare jeans (Mother, Insider Crop Flare); white sneakers (Cole Haan); floral watch (Olivia Burton).

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Angie posted last spring about the Mom Jeans trend, and I am fully on board. My three pairs of Levi's Wedgie jeans--in cream, black, and medium blue denim-- have become my favorites. And last summer, the wrap top came back in style in many versions, as Angie noted. It has been a difficult style for me to wear, as I am not crazy about deep v-necks on me, and the wrap style is hard to keep in place without much bust to fill it out. I do have a sewing pattern for a wrap blouse that I like, however, which features more coverage across the front and a higher neckline. A few years ago, I made it twice , and I loved how the blouses came out, but I rarely wore them. Now I think I know why: I didn't have the right pants to go with them. At the time I made the blouses, I was trying to pair them with mid-rise boyfriend chinos, trousers, and jeans, which felt and looked a bit awkward. As Angie pointed out in her post about the wrap-top trend: "The tops work well with the high-rise bottoms trend because the waist tie and waistband are in the same position on the body."

Today I found I really like my wrap blouse with my high-rise Levi's. My wrap blouses need not be orphans any longer.

The outfit, worn for a day off and a walk to a local coffee shop:

Medium blue high-rise straight leg jeans (Levi's, Wedgie); Liberty print abstract floral wrap blouse in mauve, blue, gray, brown, and orange (made by me); blush slip-on sneakers (Mephisto, Korie); blush rain coat (Sosken); blush cross-body bag (Nordstrom); rose gold earrings and necklace (Kendra Scott).

Thanks for looking, and I welcome your thoughts!