Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Cocooning Cardi





I had a strange experience this morning.  As I was putting on the finishing touches on my outfit, I said to myself, "Oh well.  It will be an experiment."  I guess I wasn't entirely sold on the outfit.  Not an unusual occurrence.  But it was definitely unusual to just go with the outfit and accept it as an experiment.  It amounted to taking the pressure off ... my self-imposed need to always be satisfied with my outfits.  I don't recall ever doing this.  It was a strange experience.  And a pleasant one.  In any event, my mind was later taken off my clothes because we had our first snowfall of the season today.  No lasting accumulation.  But the flakes were big and fluffy.  My kind of snowfall.

I am wearing an old Lands End Canvas plaid shirt dress, an old UO open cardi, an old wool beret and old Fluevog booties.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Watercolour Square Scarf





It used to be said about me that if I was looking for something chances were great that it would be either before or after its heyday and that I wouldn't be able to find it, at least not new.  This may be the case with what I am currently looking for: silk or faux silk square scarves.  I have discovered that some clothes that I wasn't liking wearing -- like turtlenecks -- I like wearing a lot more if I tie a square scarf around my neck.  I have about five square scarves.  Enough, I suppose.  But as most of them are very similar in pattern and colour (mostly grey, camel and black), I would like to expand my square scarf wardrobe.  Of course, I could find some new silk scarves at Hermes, but those would be a little (cough, cough) beyond my means.   I am getting lots of tips for where I might find some vintage silk scarves (in bricks and mortar shops).  I am looking forward to the hunt!

I am wearing a wool turtleneck from The Embellished Room, a uniform skirt from Lands End, an old faux silk square scarf and an old wool beret.  My boots are Fluevogs.

Monday, November 28, 2011

My First Hunters








I wore my very first pair of Hunters today.  I got these a few years ago ... at an end of season sale.  I wore them almost every day for about three months after that.  Lucky for me, it was Spring and a particularly wet Spring.  Since that first pair of Hunters, I have acquired a few more, mostly during the year that I had a wellies obsession.  The obsession has passed, but I still have all the Hunters.  Funny.  My first pair of Hunters were green and my last pair of Hunters were green.  (In between, there were black, brown and red Hunters.)  I think that I am pretty much set for wellies.

I am wearing an old Urban Renewal flannel blouse, an old Zara sweater tunic, old Lululemon leggings and knit shorts, an old Lands End barn jacket, an old wool beret and texting gloves from H&M.  My wellies are old Hunters.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

I Would Rather Be Lounging Sweater Dress




I would rather have spent today lounging, but I had certain non-lounging obligations.  I have these non-lounging obligations every Sunday, and I usually don't want to get out of them, but today was particularly dark, gloomy and rainy and perfect for staying at home and lounging.  But let me not dwell on what wasn't.  Did anyone indulge in any Black Friday sales?  I did.  But not intentionally.  I found myself in Anthropologie and spotted on sale, and further discounted because of Black Friday, a lovely coat that a couple of weeks ago I had put on my wait-for-it-to-go-on-sale list and an interesting pullover.  A good haul, I think.  I am looking forward to wearing both items, but particularly the coat.  I am calling it my Midas Touch Coat.

I am wearing a sweater dress from H&M, an open sweater vest from the Gap, old leggings, old Aldo boots and an old AA wool beret.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Striped Chambray Shirt






I have wanted to have a men's coat, in a charcoal and black tweedy wool, for as long as I can remember.  This Winter, I decided that I would buy one for my man ... and appropriate it before it reached its destination.  And that is what I did (borrowing by said man is welcome).  I have worn the coat twice already (yesterday was one of these two wearings).  Because it is large -- meaning it fits well over jackets and bulky sweaters -- and warm and comfortable, I suspect that I will be wearing it often when I am too tired to think of another coat to wear (at least until it gets cold enough to wear the Canada Goose Parka).  (I probably should have written about the coat yesterday when I wore it.  But I didn't think to write about it yesterday.  I thought to write about it today.  So check out yesterday's post to see the new coat.)

I am wearing an old Gap chambray shirt, a jumper dress from H&M,  an old JCrew cardi, an old UO coat, an old wool beret and gloves from H&M.  My chelsea boots are by Cydwoq.  I am carrying a bag by Roots.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Crackling Fireplace Shift Dress






I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I saw the duffel bag sized doctor bags but no handbag sized doctor bags.  I was really looking forward to purchasing a handbag sized doctor bag.  I understood that there were going to be some, but, alas, there were none.  I don't quite understand what happened.  Maybe next time?

I am wearing a shift dress from Jacob, an old H&M open cardigan, a coat from H&M, an old H&M scarf, gloves from H&M and an old wool beret.  My boots are by Cydwoq.  I am carrying a bag by Roots.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Grey Skies Puffer Jacket Number One





It was cold today.  Hence why, in the morning, I reached for this puffer jacket.  Little did I know that it was going to rain (nay, pour down rain) this evening when I was making my way home.  I got drenched.  I hope that the faux fur trim on the hood of my puffer jacket survives.  When I got home, I said something that I am sure might have caused some (perhaps even many) to groan.  I said, "It being so cold, I would much rather it had snowed than rained."  Soon enough, I am sure.  Then I will be saying that I would much rather it rained, notwithstanding the cold.

I am wearing an old Gap shirt with an old Gap tie, a cropped wool sweater from H&M, an old uniform skirt from Lands End, an old puffer jacket, an old wool beret and gloves from H&M.  My chelsea boots are Fluevogs.  I am carrying a bag by Roots.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Discoveries Plaid Pencil Skirt




Today, I discovered that some of those vintage Coach bags that are so popular amongst bloggers are still available from Coach brand spanking new.  Of course the prices of vintage Coach bags are much more affordable than the prices of the brand spanking new models, making the vintage bags still very attractive.  Now what I wonder is when Coach starting making those vintage bags available brand spanking new.  Always?  Recently?  What I also wonder is whether the prices of the vintage Coach bags are going to start to rise.  In particular, the prices of the more popular vintage Coach bags, like the willis bag.  Maybe?  Maybe not?

I am wearing a peter pan collar button down shirt from Joe Fresh, a fisherman sweater from LLBean, an old Urban Outfitters plaid pencil skirt, an old Old Navy duffle coat, an old wool beret, old Kenneth Cole gloves and an old souvenir scarf.  My boots are by Cydwoq.  I am carrying a Roots Bag

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Juliet Velvet Shorts






Every once in a while, I will stop by a shop that carries high end fashion.  I like to get up close and personal with some of my favourite high end designers.  I love them but recognize that they will probably always be beyond my reach.  Today, I saw one very pretty black dress that retailed for over $2,000.  Now if I were to purchase this dress, it would have to be my single, solitary purchase for at least one year and I would have to wear it every day for at least one year (but probably longer) for it to earn its keep.  I often wonder if high end fashion and I would ever get on.  I say this because I once tried on a high end designer dress that I really loved only to discover that I didn't have the body for it.  Of course that was just one designer and one dress.  So who knows.  In the meantime, I will continue exploring within my means.

I am wearing a bow blouse from Joe Fresh, an old Zara vest, an open cardigan from JCrew Factory, velvet shorts from Top Shop, an old H&M coat, an old wool beret and gloves from H&M.  My boots are Fluevogs.  I am carrying a Roots bag.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Tie Back Open Sweater Vest





Despite it being another Wintery day today, I had a lovely day.  In the morning, I curled up on the sofa with a big mug of hot tea and watched three Jimmy Stewart movies, back to back to back, on TCM.  In the afternoon, I headed over to the yoga studio for two and one half hours of practice.  After my yoga practice, I took a leisurely stroll down a main shopping street.  Then I hopped on the subway to go home, picked up some take-out on the way home and returned home to classic movies on TCM (with dinner).  Just a lovely, relaxing day.

I am wearing a cowl neck sweater dress from H&M, a wool open sweater vest from the Gap, old leggings, old JCrew back zip ankle boots and an old wool beret.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

A Shot In The Arm Sweater









A couple of days ago, I had the thought that there was something missing from my Winter coat collection, namely, a camel coloured classic coat (pea coat, duffle coat, etc.).  A couple of days later, I opened up the wardrobe where I keep some of my Winter coats and, lo and behold, there was a camel coloured pea coat that I had gotten some years ago and have not worn yet.  And nearby a camel coloured cropped duffle coat.  Okay, truth be told, they are more taupe-y than they are camel coloured, which may explain why I had forgotten that I had them.  Even so, they are close enough to being camel coloured that scouting around for a new (or even a new old) camel coloured classic coat would be extravagant and inexcusable.  I must remember to wear my camel coloured coats.

I am wearing an old JCrew sweater, an old Zara skirt (from last Winter's end of season sale), an old H&M wool jacket, an old H&M puffer jacket, an old wool beret, an old H&M circle scarf, H&M gloves and old JCrew ankle boots (from last Winter's end of season sale).  I am carrying a bag by Roots.