Firecracker's Blog

What I really wanted to wear to the Seattle YLF meetup today was my black harem pants. But they are in the laundry basket. (I took them out briefly, and thought, no, don't be silly. You have plenty of other things to wear!)

The meetup was so much fun. It was great to see people in person and to check out some shops that I had not been into before. A big thanks to Aida for organizing the outing! Brunch at Sazerac was scrumptious.

The outfit: black skinny jeans (Eileen Fisher); black and neutrals horse print tunic w/ twisted seams (made by me); olive anorak-style coat (Laundry by Shelli Segal); taupe hobo bag (Aunts & Uncles); black sling-back Mary Janes (Think! Aida); hammered silver earrings (? probably Marjorie Baer).

Thanks for looking! Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Today I used Angie's coral and blue ensemble idea as a fast fall back option. I had planned to wear another YLF-ensemble-inspired outfit but didn't like the way it felt.

Thanks, Angie, for the outfit inspiration, which came through in a pinch! I see a lot of other fabbers were similarly inspired! It was a high happiness factor outfit for me.

The outfit, worn today for work (1-2): Coral 3/4-sleeve cardigan; navy and cream destructed-fabric raw-edged A-line tank top (made by me); denim skirt with scallop-effect layers (Tribal); coral coat(Eddie Bauer, Christine Trench); denim ballet flats (AGL); navy and tan satchel (Dooney & Bourke); brass and silver necklace and earrings (Marjorie Baer).

Also, here's yesterday's outfit, worn to teach sewing class (3): tan linen pants (Eileen Fisher); minty green cotton sweater (Lulu-B); metallic high-top sneakers (Paul Green).

Thanks for looking! Comments and suggestions welcome, as always.

Today's outfits for home and then for work. . .

1 (home): metallic linen vest/top (made by me); long taupe tank underneath, ruched up (Emily Blu); skinny medium wash jeans (Lucky, Charlotte Rail); pewter cutout peep-toe booties (Paul Green).

2 (work): same outfit, with linen trousers in "sand dollar" (NYDJ) instead of jeans.

3-4: What I bought this week, almost a year after buying (and returning) them the first time: white Kut from the Kloth Catherine boyfriend jeans. Last year I wanted skinnies. This year I can't bring myself to wear the skinnies out of the house. I've outgrown them, at least enough that I am not comfortable in them. I think these Kuts are probably a size larger than what I bought and returned last year. So if I had bought them last year, I wouldn't be wearing them now anyway.
Looking at the photo of the back, I think the jeans look tighter than they look to me in the mirror and than they feel. Maybe I'm deluding myself; I don't know.  I'm inclined to keep. What do you all think?

Thanks for looking. I appreciate your honest feedback!

A few outfits recently are variations on themes I've recently shown here.

1 (worn Saturday for teaching sewing classes): gray linen blend slouchy pants (made by me); denim blue open stitch sweater (RDI, Nordstrom) over gray cami; pewter and rhinestone belt (Calvin Klein); metallic suede high-top sneakers (Paul Green). The outfit is a variation on this one that I wore on my day off with jeans.

2-3 (worn to work Friday): black knit harem pants (Eileen Fisher); wine layering tee (Tees by Tina); black and gray mesh knit cardigan (made by me); black sling-back Mary Janes (Think!). The cardi was shown here, and some of you said you'd like to see the cardigan with another outfit, and I wanted to wear it differently, too.

The last two outfits are variations on Angie's brown accent ensemble theme. . .

4-6 (worn to work yesterday): sage cotton slouchy pants (Annette Goertz); bluesy print silk tee (made by me); tan belt (Trafalgar); denim jacket (Robyn, AG); denim ballet flats (AGL); navy and tan bag (Dooney & Bourke). These pants are the ones that inspired the ones I made in photo 1.

7-8 (worn to work today): red, blue, and gray floral print chiffon peasant top (made by me); navy chinos (Caslon, Nordstrom); tan belt (Trafalgar); neutral multi-colored heeled oxfords (Fidji); navy and tan bag (Dooney & Bourke).

Thanks for looking! Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

I dressed today before reading Angie's post, but it turns out I'm wearing one of the items she suggests: a high-low cotton sweater. Mine is part acrylic as well as cotton, technically, but it feels like cotton.

The outfit (worn for a day off): indigo high-low open stitch sweater (RD, Nordstrom); skinny boyfriend jeans (Silver, Lola); pewter belt (Fossil); metallic high-top sneakers (Paul Green); blue and green iridescent earrings (?); olive anorak-like jacket (Laundry by Shelli Segal); brown-gray taupe bag (Aunts & Uncles).

I got this sweater specifically to have an updated top to wear with my linen pants, after reading Angie's recent linen ensemble post. (While it's called "crop sweater," it is a tad longer in the back, so it wears like a high-low to me.) This is the first time I'm wearing it, because the weather has been a little too cool for an open-knit sweater. I really like it! I'm wondering if I should get another color. What do you think?

Oh, and I was playing with the roll on the jeans: 1-higher roll; 2-medium roll; 3 & 4-low roll. Which looks better?

Thanks for looking! Your thoughts welcome.

Yesterday I wanted to wear long white jeans but didn't, due to fit issues. Today I wore the cropped pair of white jeans that do fit me. It's still cool out but I decided I could tolerate bare ankles today, especially if I bundled up on top.

The outfit (worn to have lunch and go shopping with a friend, and hang out at home):
white cropped boyfriend jeans (Eddie Bauer);
mixed print t-shirt, in charcoal, eggplant, tourquoise, fuschia, and yellow-green on off-white (made by me); cement and off-white leather belt (Annette Goertz); olive quilted cotton jacket with ribbed knit sleeves and collar (Blue Willi's); gray leather sneakers (Josef Seibel, Caspian); hammered brass and silver concentric circle earrings (Marjorie Baer); hammered brass and silver bead bracelet (Lucky); gray-brown taupe bag (Aunts & Uncles).

Thanks for looking. Thoughts and suggestions welcome, of course!

Today I wanted to wear my white jeans. But I just could not bring myself to do it. They are too tight, and I felt like a sausage in them. Both full-length pairs--the straight legs and the more forgiving (!) flares.

So I wore my slouchy skinny jeans that I really like and that are really comfortable. I tend to wear them in a little warmer weather, because one of the distressed features actually became a hole, so they are a little drafty near one knee.

I wanted to wear the outfit without a topper. But I got cold and added the sweater. [Sigh]

The outfit, worn for piano lesson, hanging around home, and out for a casual dinner this evening: grays on white scroll print cotton lawn funnel neck top (made by me); slouchy skinny jeans (Silver); pewter belt (Fossil); taupe linen cardigan (Nic & Zoe); pewter and taupe Mary Jane slingbacks (Fidji); pave disc earrings (Lucky); pewter leather bracelet with a crystal-encrusted oval disk (bought while traveling).

Should I go out and find a pair of white full-length jeans that fits the body I have? I do have cropped boyfriends in white that fit. I just didn't want to wear cropped today (even though I rolled these--makes no sense, huh?).

Thanks for looking!

It has been cool, and yet I don't want to dress as if summer is nowhere in sight.
I tried for some lightness in these outfits while staying warm. I don't have that many light-colored clothes to begin with, let alone ones that are the right medium weight for this finicky weather.
How did I do?

1: worn to work yesterday: charcoal floral silk peasant blouse (made by me); blue boyfriend chinos (Eddie Bauer); black belt (men's dept., Nordstrom, years ago); gray French terry peplum jacket (several seasons ago, Nordstrom); metallic high top sneakers (Paul Green).
2-3: other variations on the outfit, with taupe linen cardigan (Nic & Zoe) and pewter belt (Fossil). Cardi wasn't warm enough.

4: worn to work today: black and silver knit dress (Comfy USA); black lace shrug (made by me); black sling-back Mary Janes (Think! Aida); black leather cuff with studs (Nordstrom, last year); silver dangle hoop earrings (Marjorie Baer).

Thanks for looking! Thoughts and suggestions welcome!

Pre-YLF, I tended to wear t-shirts and cardigans with pants. In the last year or two, I have been adding some blouses to my wardrobe. Here are a couple, in work outfits.

1-3: worn to work Saturday: navy (with very fine narrow pinstripe) slouchy pants (made by me); watercolor-like print blouse with high-low hem, extended open vent at back, and funnel neck, made from a cotton-silk-metal voile (made by me); denim ballet flats (AGL); olive coat (Laundry by Shelly Segal); navy bag with tan trim (Dooney & Bourke); brass and silver concentric circle earrings (Marjorie Baer); brass and silver bead bracelet (Lucky).
The metal in the blouse fabric makes it crinkle and stay that way; I can press it, but it doesn't stay flat. Very unusual and fun fabric.

4-8: worn to work Friday: charcoal skinny ankle pants (Classiques Entier); olive cotton/polyester shirt with little stand collar, hidden placket, angled side seams with slits, high-low hem (made by me); black loafers (Munro Kimi); olive coat (Laundry by Shelly Segal); black satchel (Elliott Luca); darkened silver disk earrings (gift from a dear friend); piano wire necklace and earrings (from a local boutique).

Thanks for looking! I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

This asymmetrical summer vest is out of a lightweight linen with metallic finish on one side of the fabric. It can be worn as a top, but even then I'll wear a cami underneath, since it's kind of short on its shorter side.

The outfits:

1-2 (for going to breakfast and hanging out at home): asymmetric metallic vest (made by me); ivory layering tee (Tees by Tina); full-length boyfriend jeans (Fidelity, Rocco); metallic ballet flats (AGL).

3-5 (for work this evening): same tops, with black knit harem pants (Eileen Fisher); metallic cutout peep-toe booties (Paul Green).

6: same work outfit, with metallic ballet flats instead of booties. (I decided to go with the booties.)

This outfit feels very me.

Thanks for looking! I look forward to any comments you want to share and will see them after work this evening.