WIW: not lemon, but pastels

I tried Angie's ensemble today--except I don't have anything lemon colored. So I substituted a pistachio green cardigan. Angie and my DH (a frequent outfit-idea generator for me) both had similar ideas today. He said, "Why don't you wear something in spring colors?"

The outfit (worn to work):
Navy slouchy pants with a very fine pinstripe (made by me); white tee (Caslon) under pistachio wool cardigan (Benetton); light blue scarf with prism-like print in pastel and medium tones of blue, green, pink, and purple; tan belt (Trafalgar); weathered tan oxfords (Born, Arletta); green trench coat (Gallery); navy satchel with tan trim (Dooney & Bourke).

What do you think? Does it look like a breath of Spring?

Thanks for looking! I welcome your comments and suggestions!

P.S. I just noticed that I didn't scrunch my sleeves, again. I was thinking of doing it and forgot!

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WIW: casual non-denim ink-out

I'm trying Angie's ink-out ensemble today. When I saw the post originally, I figured I'd do it with jeans, since I wear them a lot on my days off. But I need to teach a class today, so I went with chinos instead. I substituted an ink-and-black checked top and a silver belt for the texture in Angie's ensemble, to un-flatten the look. What do you think? Does it work?

The outfit:
Navy ankle chinos (Caslon); navy and black checked cowl-neck blouse (made by me); navy merino boyfriend cardigan (Halogen); silver belt, earrings, and bracelet with silver-rimmed stones; black loafers (Munro); taupe trench (Calvin Klein); black satchel (Elliott Luca, Olvera).

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts and feedback.

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WIW: another attempt at boyfriend style

On this post last week, I showed a pair of boyfriend chinos with a longish cardigan, which felt rather lackluster. Yet I really like the feel of boyfriend-style pants, because sometimes I just don't want my pants clinging to my calves, as narrow pants usually do. (Right--they don't even have to be "skinnies" to cling on me.) And while I could most certainly improve the outfit by wearing different shoes, I really want to find a way to wear boyfriend pants and my kind of utilitarian-vibe oxfords, just because the combination of the two is so darn comfy.
Cocolion suggested trying a rough-edge type of topper, like a moto or bomber jacket in place of the cardi. Today's outfit is inspired by that suggestion. The pants are a similar cut, just corduroy instead of smooth cotton, and the shoes are the same as before.

The outfit (worn for a day off and to teach a private sewing class):
Taupe boyfriend corduroys (Eddie Bauer); teal, taupe, and green mixed-print tee (made by me); teal and green shoulder cozy (knitted by a friend); pewter cutout belt (Fossil); gray shimmer oxfords (Naot, Kedma); olive leather moto jacket (AllSaints, Hawks); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).

Thanks for looking. I welcome your thoughts!

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WIW: a few gray work outfits

Here's what I wore to work and to teach sewing classes the last few days--a few gray-leaning outfits.

1-3: dark gray-green wool-linen cargo pants (made by me); mixed print gray, dark olive, and mauve print high-low t-shirt (made by me); piano-wire necklace and bracelet; pewter metallic high-top sneakers (Paul Green); taupe trench (Calvin Klein); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).
A bold move for me: No Third Piece!
I felt pretty good in this outfit. It was comfortable, which was key for a day of being constantly on my feet and "on."

4-6: black slouchy skinny pants with zipper pockets and bling (MosMosh); gray, sage, ivory and black blurry-starry print tee (made by me); gray leather collarless jacket (Halogen); black belt with studs, rhinestones, and ornate buckle (BedStu); gray shimmer oxfords (Naot, Kedma); black packable raincoat (Cole Haan); taupe shoulder bag as above. High happiness outfit.

7-9: stone wool tuck-front trousers (made by me); gray silk blouse (Vince) under gray and taupe open-weave high-low hem sweater (Hinge); taupe wedge oxfords (Born); green trench (Gallery); taupe shoulder bag as above. I can see I need a longer or shorter coat with these wide-legged trousers. . . . Fortunately, I think the effect looks less odd in movement.
I'm not loving these trousers, as much as I want to. But I like this outfit with them best of all I've tried so far.

Your thoughts? Thanks for looking!

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WIW: more like me: cropped pants

Well, this outfit seems more like me than the ones in my previous post; don't you agree?

I was happy to see Angie's post about the trend toward high-rise cropped pants, because these are new ones, and I really like them. I made them not really expecting them to be on trend. I hope they are Just Flattering Enough. They could be perhaps slightly more tapered at the hem, but it can be tricky to
accommodate my calves, which start fairly close to my ankles and widen
quickly from there. Tighter at the hem can disrupt the drape. 

I tried the blouse semi-tucked, but it's a kind of crinkly fabric and doesn't tuck well. So here's what I did to take advantage of the pants' high waist and its leg-lengthening effect: I wore the blouse open at the hem in front, echoing the vent in the back. Did it work?

The outfit (worn to work):
Dark brown wool cropped, tapered pants (made by me); blue, brown, and burgundy watery-colored silk-cotton-metal voile blouse (made by me) over navy scoop neck long-sleeved tee (Caslon); brown metallic pointy-toe booties (Donald J. Pliner, Tillie); taupe trench (Calvin Klein); espresso and black satchel (Joy Gryson, Natalie).

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

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WIW: from classic casual to arty eclectic

These outfits show two sides of my style that seem rather different from each other: an arty, drapey, multi-layered, unconventional look and a fairly classic slightly tomboy look. Why do I wear both of these looks? How well do I carry them off? Are they in fact both me?

To be honest, I think neither one is squarely in my comfort zone. I feel both are slightly off the mark for making me feel my best, style-wise, though both are certainly comfy as far as fit and fabrications go.

The outfits:
1-3 (worn for a day off and teaching a sewing class): cadet blue boyfriend chinos (Eddie Bauer); blue and gray scroll-print burnout tee (made by me); light gray high-low boyfriend cardigan (Halogen); pewter narrow belt (Calvin Klein); gray shimmer oxfords (Naot, Kedma); taupe trench (Calvin Klein); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).

4-7 (worn for a day off): black skirted leggings (Eileen Fisher); black and dark amethyst stripe handkerchief-hem tunic (Comfy USA); black shredded-knit cocoon shrug (made by me); black flat booties (Munro, Lexi); mauve and black packable rain coat (Mycra-Pac); taupe shoulder bag as above.

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts and suggestions and any insights on my musings, as I continue trying to hone my style.
 

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WIW: for a week away

These are outfits I wore for a week visiting family in the cold Midwest. Travel capsule included 3 tops, 3 pants, 1 pair of leggings, 1 skirt, 3 toppers, 2 pairs of short boots. It could have served for a trip that was twice as long.

The outfits:
1: Dark straight-leg jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Stevie); espresso crew-neck long-sleeved tee (Caslon); taupe heather cashmere shredded-knit shrug (made by me); pewter cutout belt (Fossil); gray moto boots (Frye, Lynn).
2: Wine skinny corduroys (Eddie Bauer); black, red, and gray blurry starry print tee (made by me); black boiled wool bomber with faux-leather sleeves (Halogen); black ornate belt (BedStu); gray moto boots as above.
3: black slouchy skinnies (MosMosh); charcoal, blue, and pink floral silk peasant blouse (made by me); black ornate belt as above; black flat booties (Munro, Lexie).
4: Black leggings (Lysse); black ruched tube skirt (Vince Camuto); black, taupe, and red bias-plaid tee (made by me); wine wool high-low pullover sweater (Eileen Fisher); black flat booties as above.
5: Dark straight-leg jeans; black, taupe, and red bias-plaid tee a; ornate belt ; black bomber jacket; black flat booties, all as above.
6 (not pictured): Dark straight-leg jeans; black crew-neck tee; black ornate belt; wine pullover sweater; gray moto boots.

Items not pictured: Black, gray, and ivory ombre plaid coat; charcoal cashmere beret; charcoal gloves; silver shoulder/cross-body bag with chain detail (bag is in Finds below). For plane travel, I carried a bright blue leather tote instead of the little silver bag.

Thanks for looking! Thoughts and suggestions welcome.

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WIW: new tops & booties

These outfits feature new tops I've made in the last week or so. One is a cowl-neck knit top. The others are layered tunics--one is sleeveless, and the other has long sleeves, and they are in coordinating gray, black, and white prints. I can wear them alone or layered one on top of the other. I made them with my skirted leggings in mind, so that's how I wore them for the first time this week.

The outfits:
1-3 (worn to work): navy corduroy skinnies (Kut from the Kloth, Diana); light olive heather cowl-neck knit top (made by me); narrow brown croc-print belt (Ralph Lauren); olive, blue, and mauve open-weave drape-front sweater; olive distressed suede boots (Donald J. Pliner, Devi 3); mauve packable raincoat (Mycra-Pac); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles).

4-5 (worn to work):gray, black, and white print knit layered asymmetrical tunics (made by me); black skirted leggings (Eileen Fisher); black denim cropped moto jacket (Free People); gray moto boots (Frye, Lynn).

6-8 (worn for a day off): dark straight leg jeans (Lucky, Sweet Jean); light olive heather knit cowl-neck top as above; stone and cream belt (Annette Goertz); blue and sage heather shoulder cozy (knit by a friend); taupe cutout booties (Kork-Ease, Stina); mauve coat and taupe shoulder bag as above. Oh, and these booties are the ones I posted about as a possible wild card for me. But it seems maybe they're not really that unusual for me after all!

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

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WIW: cozy chic

Here are outfits from the last several days. If I were to detect a theme, it might be cozy chic?

1-3 (worn for a day off): dark straight-leg jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Stevie); olive knit draped pullover (Nally & Millie); brown belt (B-Low the Belt); espresso moto boots (Miu Miu); green single-breasted trench (Gallery); espresso and black leather satchel (Joy Gryson, Natalie). High happiness factor, with a lot of favorites.

4-5 (worn for day off): mauve and multi-colored floral tee (made by me); dark boyfriend jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Catherine); brown belt as above; taupe heather cashmere shredded knit shrug (made by me); taupe nubuck booties (Paul Green, Jano). Another happy outift, though I don't think I even went out of the house in it.

6-8 (worn for a day off and piano lesson): stone cords (Patagonia, slim fit); sage long-sleeved tee (Majestic); mauve and gray floral wool cap-sleeved sweatshirt (made by me); mauve packable rain coat (Mycra-Pac); taupe shoulder bag (Aunts & Uncles); gray shimmer oxfords (Naot, Kedma). Low happiness factor, despite the fact that I like all of the items. I just didn't like them together. Bleah.

9-11 (worn to work): black and brown tiny-bubble knit dress (made by me); black crinkle-knit drape-front vest (ComfyUSA); chocolate heather wool sweater tights (Smartwool); black flat booties (Munro, Lexie); new brown metal arty necklace and earrings; long black coat (Gallery); brown and black satchel as above. Back to happy with this outfit.

12-14 (worn for a day off): black skinny jeans (Eileen Fisher); ivory long sleeved tee (Caslon); black and brown animal print fuzzy long cardigan (Free People, Out of Africa); brown belt as above; espresso moto boots as above; taupe trench (Calvin Klein); brown and black satchel as above. Another happy outfit--yay.

15: closeup of the jewelry from outfit 4.

Thanks for looking! I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

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WIW: more skinnies and skirt with leggings

Is it a groove or a rut? More skinnies looks here, in the first two outfits.

And a third outfit in which I paired a skirt with leggings. The skirt is one that I have had trouble wearing, because I can't keep a slip in place underneath it (the slip rides up in about 2 seconds), and the skirt is too see-through to not wear a slip. Don't know why I hadn't thought of wearing leggings with it before. I liked this solution!

The outfits:
1-3 (worn for a day off): teal skinny corduroys (Kut from the Kloth, Diana); dark brown cashmere pullover (Halogen); brown, teal, and ivory mixed print knit infinity scarf (made by me); espresso belt (B-low the belt) and moto boots (Miu Miu); brown and gray wool coat (made by me); espresso and black satchel (Joy Gryson).

4-5 (worn for a day off and to teach a class): navy skinny corduroys (Kut from the Kloth, Diana); blue, ivory, and black silk reptile print tee (made by me); navy merino boyfriend cardigan (Halogen); stone belt (Annette Goertz); gray moto boots (Frye, Lynn); not pictured: green trench (Gallery) and espresso and black satchel. These cords a from a previous season and are a size down from my newer ones. At first I  thought I couldn't wear them anymore, but then I thought they worked okay with a long layer; do you agree?

6-8 (worn to work): black ruffled knit skirt (made by me); black leggings (Halogen); teal long-sleeved crew-neck tee (Caslon); teal plaid eyelash knit long cardigan (Pleione); black flat booties (Munro, Lexie); long black coat (Gallery); espresso and black satchel.

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