A tale of the shirt tail: shortening a silky shirt

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).

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Trying different toppers with an outfit

I am continuing on ChristinaF's no-jeans challenge through the end of this month. I've been taking photos and saving them for one post at the end. But with today's no-jeans outfit, I tried different toppers and thought I would share the results here.

The backstory is that I'm in a bit of style flux right now, having a hard time putting together outfits. I seem to have a lot of pieces I like, but it's a challenge to make outfits that I really love. Part of it is transitional weather, which others have noted recently; I want to wear spring clothes, but I need closer to winter warmth. But also I've been reexamining color and realizing that much of what I have in my wardrobe is okay but not my best colors. And I've been finding I don't always have the right length of topper to complete an outfit and keep me warm. Finally, I've been questioning what styles actually suit me, and whether my style is evolving in a direction I like or not. This unsettled-ness may be influenced by what feels like a turn in the pandemic, with a gradual un-masking occurring.

These pants fall into that color category. They are a near-miss color-wise, from my previous "work" capsules at OSKA, where I needed to wear articles from lines that were current at the time. They are a super comfy style, like wearing pajamas. I am considering passing them on, because they are too much of an outlier--I have very little to go with them, other than a couple of matching OSKA tops (which were too dark for my spring mood).

The outfits: Plum drapey viscose knit pants with a yoga-pant style waistband (OSKA); mixed-print tee (made by me); white platform low-top sneakers (P448); white enamel and glass earrings with a bit of sparkle, worn with different toppers. . .

1-2) light heather gray sweatshirt jacket (Caslon)
3) short, boxy black denim jacket (made by me)
4) long black and white marled cardigan (Bobeau)
5) short, boxy charcoal lofty wool v-neck cardigan (ISCHIKO)

The sneakers are new, and I just had to wear them. I went with 1-2 for my short trip this morning for coffee and running DH to an eye exam.

I'd be interested to hear your reactions to these outfits and the variations. Anyone else feeling unsettled in their style these days?

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New glasses

Today I picked up new glasses that I ordered last week. Between ordering and picking them up, I had doubts. I thought they might be too warm-toned, but I'm happy with them. I will still wear the round ones in my profile pic, and I'm also having a current prescription put into the teal and plum ones I got several years ago with Angie's help. Just a note: I don't think the frames look as wide IRL as they do in the photo; selfies seem to distort the image quite a bit. These are actually children's frames!

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Pixie me

Going shorter on the haircut. I had been keeping some length on top, to preserve some of the wave in my hair. On this trim, I decided to go shorter--a bona fide pixie, I think?--and I like it. My inspiration is Jamie Lee Curtis, when her hair is a little bit grown out from her very short, spiky pixie. I think I could go even shorter, and maybe will try it this summer.

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thinking of spring: my work wardrobe

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!

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Culottes & Cocoon Coat

I was inspired by Angie's culottes & cocoon coat ensemble to get out my cropped wide-leg jeans, which have been in hibernation since last fall. I also had a new cocoon coat that I made, to try with them. So here's my attempt at this outfit idea. My cocoon coat is more of an indoor topper, or a very mild weather jacket, so this outfit won't get worn for a while yet.
The outfit: Charcoal scuba knit cocoon coat (made by me); charcoal and multi-color floral silk peasant blouse (made by me); cropped wide-leg dark wash jeans (Loft); black booties (Steve Madden); silver chain-strap shoulder bag (Michael Kors).

Oh, and what I actually wore today (photos 3-4):
Boyfriend jeans (CoH, Emerson); teal long-sleeved tee (Caslon); ivory boiled wool vest with vintage buttons (made by me); brown lace-up booties (Jo Ghost).

Thanks for looking! I welcome any suggestions or thoughts you may have.

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New work clothes: a 6-item capsule

I posted here about my new job as a part-time sales associate at OSKA in Seattle. The company provides a "uniform" of a few outfits, so that we can wear clothes from the current collection to work. I got to choose my outfits from the styles available at the store.

Here's the capsule of six items that I chose, and photos of a bunch of outfits that I can create using them.
The pieces:
"Renzi" trousers, a lantern shaped style, in a black and white striped wool
"Nang" trousers, a cropped wide-leg, in navy viscose-elastin blend
"Rommy wash" trousers, a harem style, in black washed wool knit with raw edges
"Pilvi" pullover, a knit vest with short funnel neck, in a marled gray wool and cotton blend
"Raima" blouse, a cotton shirt with a small stand collar, in a very pale gray poplin
"Raissa" blouse, a short swing jacket with small stand collar, in a charcoal lightweight crinkled wool blend

I have already added a crew-neck long-sleeved knit top in the light gray color and a scarf, to extend the possibilities even further. I didn't picture them here, because I wanted to explore and show just how far the initial capsule could go on its own.

The job is a lot of fun, and I'm really enjoying how easy it is to get dressed for work. This required uniform gives me the chance to play with a minimal wardrobe, without giving up the variety I love in my non-work wardrobe.

Thanks for looking! I welcome any comments and suggestions!

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summer dress with Birkenstocks

I haven't worn this outfit yet, but was trying it on to see how I liked it, as I just finished the dress.
The dress is voluminous, made out of light-weight linen, perfect for a summer day. I'm not sure how it will be in air conditioning, though I did find one white cardigan in my wardrobe that I like with it (not pictured).
Angie's post today inspired me to try it with sneakers, too--again, not pictured here.

I tried the dress belted and unbelted. Which do you prefer?

Ivory, soft lime, soft blue, and washed-out navy linen lantern-shaped sleeveless shirt dress with side pockets, worn with black cross-strap Birkenstocks and a dark silvery skinny belt. Last photo, shown with pewter flats.

Thanks for looking!

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Voile dress & blouse, and how to wear a summer dress on a cool spring day

Two of the lightest, airiest, beautiful summer pieces that I ordered last fall came in at my favorite boutique, and I picked them up today. (These are orders from the buying trip I made with my friend to New York last September.) Of course I want to wear them now, even though it's in the 50s and a bit cloudy.
So I played around to see what I could come up with. On the suggestion of a friend, I tried the dress with my black stretch fabric pointy-toed boots, and I think I'm going to wear this outfit out this evening. I layered a black 3/4-sleeve ballet-style top and black tights under the dress, plus a leather jacket over it.

Other, less covered, looks are for later, after summer arrives.
1-4: red-green voile dress (Judy Tampa), cool-weather version, with black tee (Tees by Tina), black tights, black pointy-toe boots (Donald J. Pliner); olive leather moto jacket (AllSaints); black cross-body bag (Cherokee).
5-6: voile dress, warm-weather version, with pewter cutout peep-toe booties (Paul Green).
7: with nude pumps and clutch, and shell-colored stone necklace
8: with same necklace and pewter lace-up Mary Janes (Trippen)
9-10: olive cotton voile v-neck blouse with ruffle trim (Judy Tampa), over black camisole, with black ruched tube skirt (Vince Camuto) and pewter lace-up Mary Janes.

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

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new coat

I've been meaning to make this coat for about three years. That's when I made my first wool coat, in a class. Shortly after I finished that first one, I bought this much nicer fabric, a wine and black tweed, to make a second one. Between then and now, I decided to use a different pattern, so it's not the same style as my previous coat. (Although it is quite similar; it seems my taste is pretty consistent.)

Anyway, I just finished it. Here it is, hot off the pressing table. It's a straight style with asymmetric opening, stand collar, one button at top and hidden snaps down the front, in wine and black tweed with dark charcoal wool facings and tipping down the front. The single-welt pockets are also tipped. I used the Verona coat and jacket pattern from The Sewing Workshop. The fabric is Linton tweed, from Emmaonesock.com, a wine soft-back rayon-acetate lining from Nancy's Sewing Basket in Seattle, and a charcoal wool remnant that I've had for some time.

Just had to share, especially since I've told everyone about the project and have mentioned it here on the forum, too. Thanks for looking!

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