Boy, It's Hot

The air conditioning failed at the library Sunday afternoon, and by 9 a.m. this Monday it was BEASTLY. Therefore, I won't be blogging about the new navy pique jacket which I tried to wear that morning, but which hung on the back of my chair most of the day. Our valiant building manager got the HVAC people out lickety-split, but it was still sticky in the building until I went home at six. Below is the jacket; it is partially lined, with the sleeves and seams finished in a ticking stripe - very snappy!
 

Now wildly on sale, other pretty colors!

Sleeve lining and Talbot's bracelet.

The pockets (all four) were also lined with the striped rayon. I wore it with a print tank and olive green linen wide-leg pants. The pants, though linen, were lined, so also pretty sticky in the heat. They have a really long rise, so if I tuck anything in I look like Todd Loopner.

I discovered that haul videos are old news according to ABC back in March, 2010. 

Haul Videos Turn Tech Savvy Shoppers into Web Stars

I also wrote to my mother, email being her favored method of communication, to ask her if she used to love clothes as much as I remembered. Now 89, she doesn't particularly care, but I remember her clothes always looking and feeling really nice. My stuff seemed sticky or scratchy, and her dresses and blouses felt cool and smooth. She's always been a fan of natural fibers; maybe that was the difference. She also had long, slim hands and feet, and used to have boxes of Pappagallos in her closet, because those fit the best. Anyway, I hope she comments back to me.

Box O' Pink

So, this happened.

 Pants, sweater and blouse, all in "soft rose."

NEW Challenge - Voile!

This is my yellow voile skirt from Talbot's. I love saying voile. Voooiiiiillllllle. So French.

I bought it last fall, admired it, and put it away. Because it is voooiiiiilllle, and too light for fall and winter.

Standing on tiptoes to look taller.

Floofy!

  I'm also wearing a J. Jill top from the previous century.

Notice the fairly scruffy Me Too flats for walking to work, whereupon I changed into these:

Earthies Sienna, available on eBay

These shoes are still in the audition phase, although it might be too late to return them at this point. I think I've had them nearly two months. They have a high arch, which is great for me, but it's not quite in the sweet spot, and I don't know if they will be wearable all day. (P. S. I wore these to the Relay for Life and did four laps on the track!!!)

Have you heard of "haul" videos? Where cheerful young women collect their inexpensive purchases from Forever XXI and H & M and then film themselves showing off their loot? It's not about what they spent, but about what they didn't spend. I'd never heard of such a thing, but I'm reading Overdressed, by Elizabeth Cline, and I'm learning both new things and things I already knew in my heart.

Cheap clothes are crap - this part I already knew. They don't lay well, they disintegrate quickly, they're inconsistent in color and construction. They are disposable. But they are surprisingly fashionable, as they knock off trends and runway styles at lightning speed. And - they're cheap, so you can buy the trend without sweating the cost. If a skirt is under $20 EVERY TIME, I'd be tempted too. The young women who buy these things are not stupid, and they're working for their money. When I was 20 and working at K-Mart, I shopped there.

But I was a big girl, and not much off the rack fit properly, so I started sewing my own clothes. (There is a wonderful chapter on the history and rebirth of home sewing in Overdressed.) In this way I got to know fabrics, and tailoring, and garment construction, and dye lots, and what selvedge means. When I was in my twenties, even cheap clothes were made fairly well, it was just that the fabrics weren't very nice. In my thirties I was working part-time, and had time to shop at Vogue Fabrics and spend my miniscule budget on fabric instead of finished products. I was always thinking, "I could MAKE that for ten bucks." 

These days, I aim to buy good clothes on sale. The voile skirt (sigh) is a fine example. Look at this lining and hem. The voile outerlayer has a hem that is actually a separate piece with a French seam and is closely topstitched top and bottom. Note also that it is anchored with a thread chain to the lining so it won't shift. The lining also has a fine flat hem, very even and straight. 

This is why this skirt  was originally $128, and why I waited until it was under $40 to buy it. Talbot's, like a host of other clothiers, got in righteous trouble in the 90s for making its clothes in sweatshops in Saipan, a territory of the U. S., so it could claim to be "made in the United States."  Now they're made in Indonesia or Viet Nam, though I know it is a comforting myth that the conditions in modern factories are much better.

They're still made well, though, and that's why fear clutches my heart at the thought of Talbot's going under, or sacrificing their quality. Where else would I shop?

 

NEW Challenge - Blue Summer Sweater

This Jones New York purchase dates back to last fall, a really good sale price and a 15% off coupon at Lord and Taylor. A white tank and white jeans and white Riekers complete the stylin' nurse look. It was over 100 degrees the day I wore this, and I'm glad I only had to go outside for a few minutes. Even our hefty building AC couldn't compensate for the heat, humidity and the dozens of extra people seeking relief in the library.

Hanging in my closet for nine months without a wearing; that is the price of shopping on sale. The sweater is basically see-through, and looks very odd over a print, which limits its wearability, but it looked so good with white that I didn't mind it being a specialist. It would fly with ivory, and possibly black, too.

NEW Challenge - The Maxi Skirt

Here 'tis. I bought this over the weekend at Lord and Taylor, after trying it on a few weeks prior. It had gone on sale, I had the remainder of a gift card, the stars were in alignment, the time was right.

Also pictured, my faithful black linen jacket, "sepia" washed silk tank, and comfy Clarks sandals. Tonight is the board meeting, so I need to look professional (but not too powerful) and be comfortable. The skirt is chiffon with a black underlayer; perfectly discreet, though I have already caught it under the wheels of my desk chair. That might be a headache at the meeting.

Skirt closeup

The shiny blur in the full photo is this enamel brooch, which I KNOW came from Alaska, and I THINK was a gift from my ex's sister. That was decades ago, people. It's weighty.

Nearly palm-sized!

P.S. The skirt WAS a good choice for the meeting. I didn't realize how much of me was visible on camera!

Lilac and Periwinkle and Silver

The title sounds like I'm awa' with the fairies. Today's outfit is a melange of older kibbles and bits.

Seriously, Ben takes so much better pictures than I do. I'm wearing a silk Kate Hill jacket, a crinkled cotton eBay skirt, silver Talbot's shoes and a cotton top that was a sister-in-law gift (as was the bracelet). The top has a very sweet bitty print in lilac, purple, aqua and lime - goes with everything. The skirt is lovely to walk in; two light swishy layers.

Closeup with bad color!

The shoes are favorites, though starting to look a little tatty. I got them at the Talbot's outlet store in Park Ridge for about $15 and I wear them a lot in the summer. Though now that my feet have rebelled, these little flats are an indulgence, not daily fare.

But they're so SHINY!

I'm always on the lookout for metallic shoes. I used to have a pair of Van Eli's in gold with a Louis heel. They were ridiculous and yet went with everything. The real problem with metallic shoes is that they cannot be polished, so they age quickly.

So here I am, wearing some older items while I have the following, UNWORN pieces in my closet:

Navy lace Talbot's pencil skirt (Talbot's)
Emerald green jersey shift dress (Ann Taylor)
Navy bi-stretch bootleg trousers (Talbot's)
Ivory lady jacket (Talbot's)
Crinkled print maxi skirt (L & T)
Navy pique three button jacket (Talbot's)
Yellow and black cotton Nine West top (eBay)
Animal print stretch Dana Buchman dress (eBay)


There's definitely a navy theme, eh? Although these are all the unworn pieces I can bring to mind right now, there may well be more. And it's not that I don't like these items or am experiencing buyer's remorse. None of them are fur-lined or otherwise inappropriate for the season. I just haven't made the effort to get them out of the closet and style them.

Interestingly, these were mostly things I bought because "I needed them." I needed a navy jacket which was three season, it would go with everything. I had no navy slacks and kept wishing I had a pair. I thought the ivory jacket would fancy up a few skirts  and dresses. (In it's defense, it is a little too big on me and was final sale. I've been debating the merits of having it tailored.) I needed more short sleeve summer tops, and I just plain coveted a maxi skirt, for when you want to - but can't - wear pants.

My next challenge appears to have been spelled out for me, non?

Jacket and a Skirt, Rinse and Repeat

Bored now.

Monday:

Brown linen Talbot's jacket, chiffon Loft sleeveless top, ivory linen Talbot's skirt, red born flats. I do love that skirt. I bought it at the tail end of October last year, and this is the first time I've worn it. It has horizontal raw edge tucks, which are interesting in their own right, and also conceal the inevitable wrinkles. (Ben took this picture, which is why both my head AND my feet are visible. The limits of where you can put a tripod in my kitchen are apparent.)

Tuesday: the exciting PANTS variation!

Yellow Talbot's cardigan, white L & T tee, white RL jeans, cognac Chiang sandals, Alexander McQueen knockoff scarf. I adore the scarf; not just leopard spots but little skulls!

$29 via Shopstyleinch on eBay!

Wednesday: I didn't even bother photographing that ensemble. Brown denim jacket, green and brown floral skirt, green drape-neck tank, brown sandals. Perfectly presentable, just not very interesting.

Thursday: 

Black linen Talbot's jacket, polka dot RL top, orange silk Talbot's skirt, black suede kitten heels.  This outfit is a spin on this orange and navy combo, which in turn is an interpretation/happy coincidence of this magazine cover:

Relatively few of my choices are influenced by library literature. Nonetheless, someday I will achieve this look, circa 1972: