Firecracker's Blog

Day 5 of Angie's challenge to present a week of "very you" outfits. . .

Today I took a quick trip south of Seattle to Puyallup for the Sewing and Stitchery Expo. Usually I go for a couple of days, but this year, I didn't make plans to go. At the last minute, yesterday, a friend and I decided to go and check it out.

The event presents a challenge for dressing. The expo is set up at the state fairgrounds, in tents. Indoor climate is a bit unpredictable, and there is nowhere inside the tents to sit down and relax between classes or shopping, except in the food court areas. (We didn't have classes this time, since we didn't sign up ahead of time.) So you have to plan to be on your feet, on concrete, the whole time, carrying your bags, coat, and any purchases you make along the way.

On top of those considerations, I always want to wear certain things I have made, to show them to the pattern designers or to friends whom I will inevitably run into, both of whom are always excited to see our creations!

Here's the outfit I came up with, which served me quite well for my half-day run through the vendors' tents:

Greenish-gray lightweight tweedy wool trousers, with tabs at the hems (made by me, from Cutting Line Designs One-Seam Pants pattern); sage green cotton-cashmere long-sleeved tee (Majestic) under a cream wool-blend distressed chunky-knit pullover (Gro A Live); blush trench coat (London Fog); brown lace-up booties (Jo Ghost); native print Pendleton wool cross-body bag (made by me, from Paradiso Designs free bag pattern). Also carried, but not shown: blush vegan reversible tote (Joy Susan).

The pants are a test--my first attempt with the pattern--and I wanted to show them to Louise Cutting, owner of the pattern company, and get her advice on alterations to the pattern for the next pair that I make. I also visited Cheryl Kuzak at Paradiso Designs, to get some more bag supplies for my next handbag creation using a different pattern of hers.

I guess this outfit is pretty "me." It was hard to find just the right top to wear with the pants, which would go with the shoes and bag I wanted to  use. What a puzzle! I liked the way the distressed sweater really takes the pants into RATE (rough around the edges) territory.

What do you think? Does this outfit look like my style to you?

Day 4 of Angie's challenge to present a week of "very you" outfits. . .

Okay, today, no constraints: it's a day off, and I can dress as I wish. This is an outfit that is very much my day-off style. Or perhaps I should say was. . . . Lately, I've been wearing this formula of tee+cardigan+jeans less often, reaching instead for a simpler one of pullover+jeans. Part of that change has to do with the jeans I prefer wearing lately, which are high-waisted straights. I like those with shorter tops. I used to wear my trusted long cardis with skinny jeans, and I'm rarely wearing skinnies days. Today I put on a long cardigan with my mid-rise boyfriend jeans, which have also taken a back seat to the high-waisted straights lately. I always wear these with a belt, and usually the one I'm wearing today, my very favorite. I don't like the belt with my high-waisted straight jeans (I don't like the look on me, plus the belt is too long for them), and I miss wearing it!

What makes it me: Diffuse, low-to-medium contrast patterns; old stand-by formula of fun tee+cardi+jeans; a little bit of sparkle; a little bit of toughness; muted metals (rather than shiny); and olive!

Many of these are favorites, and pieces that I searched hard for: the jeans--I don't know how many boyfriends I tried on or bought before I landed on these, which are the perfect rise, fit, feel, length; the Chelsea boots are another Goldilocks find, just the right combo of refined and casual; the olive puffer and bag--this dark olive is my favorite neutral--it's a real treasure to find the color in styles that work for me.

The outfit: Mid-rise boyfriend jeans in a medium wash (Citizens of Humanity, Emerson); black, gray, sage, and cream blurry-starry-floral-like print tee (made by me); gray and cream animal print fuzzy cardigan (Free People, Out of Africa); studded brown and black belt with square burnished silver buckle (Suzi Roher); black Chelsea boots (Dune London, Peppie); olive puffer coat (Lauren Ralph Lauren); olive bag (AllSaints, Mast); muted silver half-moon earrings (J.Crew); studded narrow brown leather bracelet; cateye glasses (Entourage of 7); black aviator sunglasses (Prada).

Day 3 of Angie's challenge to present a week of "very you" outfits. . .

Again, a work day, so my constraint is to wear OSKA from head to toe, except shoes. And, because we are in the spring/summer season with our merchandise, I need to dress in spring/summer pieces, even though it is still very much winter outside.

Today's outfit feels more like "pretty much me," rather than "very me." I love the color, and I love the drapiness of these pants and top. The base outfit here has a dressier feel than I usually wear, but it does work for me because the style of the pieces have such a casual vibe. I tried the outfit with different toppers, but the denim jacket felt the most comfortable to me; it is part of the outfit that really makes this my style. I guess the only reason that I can come up with for why this outfit might not be totally me, is that it's not literally a jeans outfit.

The pieces: Purple viscose pants and top (OSKA, Eilea trousers and Aitira blouse, in iris); boxy lightweight denim jacket (OSKA, jacket Manami); silk chiffon print scarf in many shades of blue, with a hidden picture of a paraglider on it (Unbreakable Evolution, from OSKA), black half-d'Orsay flats (Free People, Royale); gray tweed-print puffer coat (OSKA); purple lightweight knit gloves (Jeanne Simmons); gray leather cross-body satchel (Olbrish, Mona); silver bicycle-chain bracelet, silver rounded-triangle hoop earrings.

P.S. I added a hat before I left the house, shown in pic 4 at the bus stop.

Today was a work day, so I dressed head-to-toe in clothing from the store where I work, OSKA Seattle (except footwear--we don't sell footwear).

So this outfit might not be entirely "me," as I might wear these items differently outside of work. I bought the jeans a while back, and I really bought them just to add to my jeans capsule. So I have worn them a lot with tops that I've made, or tops from other brands I like. My boss encouraged me to wear them to work, and I'm glad to be able to do so, since jeans are perhaps my favorite thing to wear.

Why this outfit is me: jeans!; booties with a tomboy vibe--I like shoes with some borrowed-from-the-guys elements; comfort

Why it might be a little not-me: I gravitate toward more subdued colors, and the bright plaid scarf is a departure from the more diffuse patterns I favor as well.

The outfit:

Tapered, side-zip, high-waist jeans (ISCHIKO, Wista); cotton pullover long-sleeved sweater with lower front pocket, in soft orange (ISCHIKO, Munica pullover, in kimchi); purple, orange, blue, green, turquoise, and off-white plaid slubby scarf (ISCHIKO); brown lace-up booties (Jo Ghost); gray tweed-print uffer coat (OSKA), brown and gray croc print satchel (Brahmin); purple lightweight knit gloves (Jeanne Simmons).

I'm hoping this challenge will help me recapture sense of my style. I feel I have a well-developed personal style, but it's all intuitive. I'm not good at describing it or identifying what it encompasses.

Taking up Angie's challenge to document a "Very YOU Week" of dressing, here's Day 1 for me.

On my days off, I generally wear jeans, for comfort, and a sweater, for warmth. I have a lot of t-shirts that I've made, in fun print fabrics, which I used to wear a lot with cardigans. Recently, I've gravitated toward pullover sweaters, though, and my signature self-made tees have languished. Today I really wanted to wear one of my t-shirts, and I discovered that the cardigans I like best and the t-shirts I like best do NOT go together. I couldn't come up with a combo I wanted to wear! (Dysfunctional wardrobe discovery #1!)

So I decided to wear a signature self-made tee with a pullover. I tried to expose the neck of the t-shirt a little bit, and I turned up the sleeves of the pullover to expose a few inches of the tee sleeves. Problem solved!

The outfit:

Black jeans (Levis Wedgie High Waist Straight), taupe, burgundy and black abstract rose-print long-sleeved tee (made by me); rose wool high-low hem boxy pullover (Eileen Fisher); charcoal snake-embossed sparkly oxfords (Mephisto); black trouser socks. For outdoors, added gray print puffer coat (OSKA); gray and brown croc-print bag (Brahmin); black knit gloves; and my black aviator sunglasses.

It's always a good day when the sun comes out and I can wear my sunglasses; they make me feel so cool!

I read Angie's post about Spring and Summer Trends with an eye toward the outfits I just selected for this spring/summer season at work. I work part-time at OSKA Seattle, where I am a sales associate and what OSKA calls a style coach. Each season, we are provided with some help in building a wardrobe out of the current collection; we get to choose a couple of outfits, and we can use our employee discount to round out the capsule.

The pieces I selected are the first several shown below in Finds. They are unusual colors for me, and the pants are a style I haven't embraced before--the track-pant look.

I tried them on today, combining them in some outfits with other OSKA pieces in my wardrobe.

The outfits:

1. Iris viscose top and pants together, top semi-tucked. Worn with metallic oxfords.

2. Same outfit, with lightweight denim jacket added, and worn with floral loafers.

3. The top and pants, with pearl hemp-knit asymmetric double-breasted jacket and metallic slip-on sneakers.

4. The top and pants, with long light gray open-front asymmetric cardigan, and black, white, and gray snake-print sneakers.

5-6. Same outfit as 4, but with the cardigan worn short (turned upside-down).

7. Top and pants, with blush and gray mini-stripe cardigan, worn with blush sneakers.

8. Iris viscose pants with moss asymmetrical variegated-rib knit top, worn with blush sneakers.

9. Same pants and top as 8, with lightweight denim jacket, worn with metallic slip-on sneakers.

10. Iris viscose pants, kimchi (soft orange) pullover sweater, plaid scarf, worn with metallic slip-on sneakers.

11. Pants with hems pinned up. (My left leg is pinned shorter than the right.)

I think my new work capsule is pretty firmly in the Sporty Luxe trend,
and the outfits I'm creating are perhaps just-flattering-enough, rather
than conventionally flattering. I'm thinking of shortening the pants, probably to the shorter length pinned in photo 11. What do you think?

I welcome your thoughts on the outfits I've created here, including any suggestions for other styling or footwear ideas. Thanks for looking!

I tried Angie's outfit formula for a playful pencil skirt look today, for work. My midi pencil skirt has a slight bubble just past the knee, and my boots are Doc Martens, rather than hikers. But I think this approximates the idea of outfit #2 in her post.

The outfit:

Dark gray ponte pencil skirt (OSKA); navy melange asymmetrical wool pullover with banded (or welted) hem (OSKA); navy tights; navy and gray heather socks; Doc Marten boots.

What do you think? I welcome your thoughts or suggestions!

In reviewing the fall/winter 2018 fashion shows, Angie noted a trend toward "80s and 90s Fabness." Among the 90s retro looks, she mentioned overalls. I have kind of liked overalls--on other people!--but didn't really think of them as something I'd wear. I don't know why. Too different? (But I wear harem pants, which are not exactly mainstream in my daily environs.) Too rural? Not sophisticated enough?

Shopping at Nordstrom yesterday, though, I saw a salesperson wearing a pair that looked so great on her, I wanted to try them. "Do you have those?" I asked, pointing at her outfit. And sure enough, there was a pair, somewhere "in the back," which made it into my dressing room.

Here are my retro 90s overalls, worn in the least costumey, most characteristically "me" way I could think of. My DH said, "That's a new look!" I asked if he liked them, and he said, "I can get used to them." He's such a sport!

The outfit: Zip front, raw-hem, slightly distressed overalls (Reformation, Benji); black waffle t-shirt, black studded booties (Halogen), silver bicycle chain bracelet, silver earrings.

I think there are a lot of tops I could wear with these, but I wanted to
keep it simple for their first outing. I think they will be fun for
spring and summer, with lighter tops and sandals or sneakers.

These may be kind of a wild card for me, but they feel easy to wear. What do you think? Something you can "get used to" like my DH? I look forward to your thoughts, and suggestions for ways to wear this "new" look.

Angie's post about the Fair Isle Trend prompted me to pull out and wear a sweater my mother knit for me in the 80s. It is medium-gray heather, with the pattern in white and pale yellow with a touch of the heather gray. It's in great condition because I  haven't worn it that much in the last 20 years or so, I take good care of it, and it's knit from acrylic yarn, which seems quite hardy. I cherish the sweaters my mother knit for me, even though I may not wear them much, if at all, any more. They reflect her love for me, as well as my taste in earlier eras of my life! 

Today I'm wearing the Fair Isle sweater (photo 1) with skinny dark wash jeans (Mother, the Looker high rise, in Coffee Tea or Me wash); white long sleeved t-shirt (Eddie Bauer); cognac boots (Born) and tan belt.

And, here's another outfit (photo 2) with the boots, inspired by Smittie's post considering a pair of mid-calf rust boots, in which there was some discussion of wearing this style of boot with skirts. This is a work outfit that I have worn fairly often: Slate gray ponte midi skirt, plaid wool blouse, and dark brown boiled wool vest (all OSKA); navy tights and cognac boots (Born). I guess this is not a conventionally flattering look, wearing the wide-shaft mid-calf boots with a midi skirt, but I enjoy wearing it. I like the way the boots casualize the outfit. What do you think?

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts!

Like Angie, I am wearing flat footwear almost all the time now. I just find it so much more comfortable for all-day wear. And one of my go-to pieces for work this fall is a ponte-knit midi skirt with a slim shape. I've been wearing it with flat booties. I've considered wearing it with chunky loafers or more refined oxfords, but so far, different pairs of booties have won out each time. Later in the season I'll probably wear it with tall boots.

Here's how I wore it today:

Slate gray ponte midi skirt (OSKA, skirt Omali, in space); light gray cotton t-shirt (OSKA, shirt Siral, in stellar); gray and white marled wool sweater vest (OSKA, Pilvi pullover); black studded booties (Halogen, Hailey); navy trench coat (London Fog); faux-croc leather satchel (Brahmin, Nadia); black newsboy cap (New Era).

Sorry the photos came out so dim, but hopefully you get the idea. Thanks for looking! I welcome any thoughts you wish to share.