Fashion Resolutions

1. Not to buy any more clothes (except underwear) at Macy's and Lord and Taylor.
2. Correspondingly, to shop at Nordstrom. And maybe Banana Republic.
3. Revise my list of shopping questions.
 
These activities should feed the following goals:
 
1. Find balance between my work wardrobe and my play wardrobe.
2. Thin out my closet by 25%.
3. Eliminate anything that feels cheap, tight, fussy or sticky.
 
Some explication ensues. Over the weekend I reviewed blog photos for the past year. Hey, most things look pretty good. Also, Heather is correct that the camera isn't always the best judge (though generally a better one than my optimistic eyes). A couple of outfits need a little proportion adjustment. I have two full Boden skirts that I think are not sleek or simple enough; some gathers, some ruffles. I will consider selling those. I have a few tops and jackets with puffy sleeves, or with gathers at the armscye; I think those also have to go.

One particular top, the Ann Taylor black chiffon blouse, is problematic. I realized that every time I wore it I felt hot and sticky, probably because it is polyester and not silk. I need to wear it in cooler weather and review. I feel warm and flushed often enough these days without the assistance of my clothes. I'm also a little annoyed with elastic sleeves. I think this is a costcutting measure on the part of the manufacturer and it pisses me off. I don't like having marks on my arms just because my sleeves ride up at my desk.

My denim shirts aren't bringing their A game either. I want a denim-looking shirt that isn't denim weight, one that is long enough to tuck in, but with vertical darts or seams at the waist so there isn't a huge excess of material there. I saw a really nice version of this shirt at Nordstrom and Pinned it. One resolution I would like to make is not to buy any more button-fronts, but sometimes I am helpless in the face of a J. Crew "perfect" shirt.

I'm tempted to swear not to buy anything with a collar, period. I have loads of jackets and many of them are making me feel (at work) a little dated. Oddly, I like the idea of wearing them as play clothes, with bright jeans, or as outerwear with a warm scarf in the fall. That is part of the balance issue I refer to. My play clothes are minimal because I don't want to stain or damage my work clothes, and my work clothes feel a little "office fussy." Moving 25% of my office wear to the minor leagues will be a good start. I'm trying to decide whether a physical separation in my closet would be helpful (or just fun - I do love organizing things). Putting on a blazer stood me in good stead for years, but I think I need to upgrade my work wardrobe again.

And that's the final thing I realized: that I've been here before.  In the past I have upgraded my shopping habits, my fashion goals, my work wardrobe, and my style goals. It is actually a great feeling to think that I've done this before and it worked out well.
 

Today I wore a Talbot's top and skirt, and my lovely Everybody sandals. I can say with confidence that I love all the sandals I bought this year (can't say the same for the shoes, sadly).  I wish this top had just a little more definition in the waist. And damn those elastic sleeves!
  
To be continued: revising the shopping questions, and, what does "looks expensive" mean, anyway?

Not So Profound

I don't know how other, much more prolific, bloggers manage to write anything meaningful after 5 PM. I've been thinking about the budget all day and cannot say much more than "Fire bad, tree pretty."

After all of those pastels earlier in the week, I went a bit more neutral on Wednesday. Red necklace, beige sweater, red skirt, beige sandals. The big gray lump, lower right, is Riley.

And we're BRIGHT again on Thursday! Orange Ann Taylor dress, cream linen Ann Taylor jacket, gold Aquatalia pumps and a couple of gold necklaces of uncertain provenance. Isn't that a groovy color? I debated for a few weeks, because the dress is sleeveless, and a bit too open to wear without a jacket or sweater. Black seemed kind of harsh, and any other color detracted from the lovely orange-y goodness of the dress. Then I tried it with the linen jacket and was pleased with the result.

The bracelet is basically three cheapie bracelets wound together: rhinestones, ribbon, orange beads. Which is why I only paid five bucks for it. Orange! Sparkly! The ring is a lot classier: an Australian opal that Barry gave me many years ago. See the cute stripes that line the jacket sleeves? I'm always cuffing jackets because of my short little T-Rex arms.

And the really exciting news?!

A dream realized! I am going home to sit on it. But no food or drink, no sir.

What's New, Part Q

We're enjoying a typical hot, sticky Chicago week, so all bets are off as to what is appropriate for office wear. As Heidi said, we all go a bit feral when the air conditioning fails. We've had a couple of brown-outs that didn't last long, but when the chillers stop, it takes a while to get them rolling again in an 80,000 square foot building. Wow, I know way too much about HVAC.

I wore some new stuff, especially loving the new (eBay) Talbot's silk skirt, that I also own in a golden brown. I'd also love it in the deep burgundy Baccara Rose, if I can find it someday. Again with the multiples - that is a hard habit to break.

The tank is from Kohl's (Simply Vera Vera Wang), and it shows a bra strap or two, but who cares when it is in the nineties. I brought a pink pashmina in case it got cool in the office (it really didn't).

And look! The pencil skirt fairies came!

Red eyelet Talbot's pencil skirt

Linen and Lace

Huh. I guess I forgot to publish this. Pretend it is July 11th, OK?

It looks like I'll be wearing blue all week - I certainly have a gracious plenty of it. I had thought to wear a white button-front shirt with the navy lace skirt, but when I tried it on, I realized (again) that I just don't like them. To my mind, "crisp" means stiff, and because they're so fitted they pit out really quickly (TMI?). I wore a nice blousey linen top instead.

I have on my turquoise necklace and earrings, and my cool new Everybody (by B Z Moda) sandals.

I loooove them. I bought them at Shoe Metro where they were insanely marked down. The leather is very soft and smooth, the back zipper doesn't even tickle, and the little heel is just right. I think they will look nice with pants too.

My skinny ankles are paying off this year, as there are so many mid-heel sandals with ankle straps, which look good (she said modestly) on my feet.  In addition to pleasing my ego, ankle straps make sandals feel very secure. My narrow heels mean I tend to walk out of or at least flop around in my shoes.