That Grey Skirt

I had something entirely different laid out for this morning, but it seemed too much "work", by which I mean it felt like I had to hold my stomach in all day. I was going to wear the yellow pencil skirt, a black and white long sleeved top and a yellow skinny belt. It looked good, no doubt, but it also felt, I don't know, sort of attention-drawing. I didn't feel up to that. Puzzling.

So I went to my closet and thought about Favorite Things.

I love this J. Crew striped shirt. They don't call it the Perfect Shirt for nothing. It's just the right length for my new (ahem) grey skirt. Then I thought about my red Boden boots, also beloved, and the rest was easy.  Seriously, when I put this on I didn't even REMEMBER this picture. From, you know, five whole days ago.

Funnily enough, the Rotary "boys" (all in their 60s) made a big fuss over me and the red leather boots at lunch.  I felt like a go-go dancer (young and blithe). So trying to avoid attention didn't exactly work out.

Climbing the Pyramid

My ability to dress myself - I wouldn't go so far as to call it fashion sense - has admittedly come a long way. That is what I was thinking about a week ago, when I said my outfit had particular resonance to my style journey. That outfit, not particularly daring, nevertheless pairs  a tough denim shirt with a fluffy pleated skirt, mixes red (shoes) with pink (skirt), and incorporates a statement necklace. I would not have done any of those things even two years ago, and certainly not without looking doubtfully in the mirror. As it was, I just grabbed things from my closet, thought about red and pink in the necklace, and ran out the door. 

If there is a Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in clothing, it leads from wrapping yourself in a blanket to keep warm (physiological), having actual shoes and shirt and pants (security/safety), having an assortment of outfits for various occasions (belonging/society), having clothes that are "nice" or new or otherwise attractive (esteem), and having a wardrobe that is creative and an expression of your self in some way (self-actualization).

And because no idea is new under the sun, here is Zulema's Fashion Hierarchy of Needs:

http://fashion1psychology.wordpress.com/2009/05/02/fashions-hierarchy-of-needs/

These days, I often feel at the top of the pyramid, and that is a fundamental change. For many years after I moved to Chicago, fresh out of college, I felt out of step with how everyone dressed. I wondered where women found the right outfits for weddings or work without looking like robots or matrons. I dressed too old or too young. A well-meaning friend said, "You're wearing THAT to church?" I was the perfect candidate for What Not to Wear.

Because I sewed, I knew good fabric and construction, at least, and eventually I found Talbot's and J. Jill. I embraced my inner matron, and comforted myself with the fact that my clothes were well made, if not stylish. That worked for years - I was reaching the third level of the pyramid and occasionally the fourth. Still, I admired friends and co-workers who achieved so much more, who had real style. I figure it was something you were born with (or maybe your mother gave it to you when You Became A Woman). Then I discovered fashion bloggers; non-models who looked great every day, and were generous enough to share their ideas on customizing your wardrobe, being thrifty, loving your body and expressing yourself.

THANK YOU.

And thanks for reading! Here's what I wore yesterday:

Talbots jacket, Boden skirt, Born boots, necklace from random Cocoa Beach boutique.

Election Day 2012

I knew I wanted to wear black and white today - the presidential election seems a black and white issue no matter who you are voting for. This was my first try:

The tights are black in the front, white in the back!

Love the color, not so much the silhouette. This top is great under a jacket, but that gathered neckline gives too much emphasis to the top of the hourglass. I thought about my denim shirt, but I tend to go to that well pretty often.

This was my second and mostly final choice:

The fit and the length of this top is much better with the skirt. I eventually switched out the necklace for a black and white chiffon scarf, to keep my neck a little warmer. I'm rarely cold these days in the office, and I wore my heavy denim jacket over it all with a red pashmina to walk to work. 

Then I went and voted. This election is going to be a nailbiter.

And since I felt anxious about watching the returns, this is what I made for dinner:

Time Warp

For the first time in at least 25 years, I spent the evening at The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I wore significantly more clothing than the last time I was there, for which sadly, I don't seem to have photographic evidence. 

First of all, the movie holds up, which surprised me. Brad's underpants are still funny, Susan Sarandon is gorgeous and sly, Tim Curry is deliciously over the top, and the film's devotion to those old Hammer films is fantastic.

I was also intrigued to hear localization of the audience "callbacks." I didn't jot them down, so I just remember thinking, "Huh, that must be the Chicago version. We didn't say that in Cleveland."

It was really hard to shed the taboo against speaking loudly in a movie theater. I had to steel myself do more than whisper at the screen. And I didn't bring ANYTHING to throw.

But I looked great.  :-)
 

Two Grey Skirts

I have a grey skirt that I like pretty well. It is wool flannel with inside-out seams, a nice detail. It is a good length, A-line, but the fabric is slightly stiff. Not a lot of swish or drape to this skirt, so when Talbot's marked down their grey knife-pleat skirt by 50%, I ordered one.

Here is the same outfit worn with each skirt. I wanted to wear grey with brown (my new Born boots), and pulled out this little cardigan my sister-in-law gave me two Christmases ago.

Riley matches perfectly.

Here's the thing - it took some doing to put this outfit together. The cardigan has just enough taupe in it to pick up on the brown boots, but it is a little tight and I rarely wear it. I could have worn a dark brown tee and a brown jacket as well, but the look would have been a little flat, I suspect. 

I love medium to charcoal grey, but it can be tricky. I tried a purple blazer and felt like I was on my way to Hogwarts. I just needed a rep scarf to complete the look. Navy and medium grey make me feel like airport security. I actually like shades of taupe and brown the best. Bright green and hot pink also work well with grey. So, no "serious", dark colors, and a blazer with a pleated skirt reads too prep school, at least on me. This is a cute possibility:

I'm trying not to have two of the same thing in my closet, especially when I don't have a multitude of items to wear with it - but I really like those swirly pleats. (I also bought this skirt in emerald green and it is AWESOME.)

Comments, thoughts, questions?
  

What Cheer?

In 1636, Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island who left Salem, Massachusetts to seek religious freedom, landed at modern-day Providence and was greeted by Narragansett Native Americans with "What Cheer, Netop". Netop was the Narragansett word for friend, and What Cheer was an old English greeting brought to New England by English settlers.

Ben eats calamari and Clams Casino.

Providence was pretty fantastic, even and above seeing Ben, who I was forced to hug and kiss multiple times. As you can see, we ate well. At Hemenway's we ordered chowder and the giant seafood platter and couldn't finish it. We had bison quesadillas at Tortilla Flats and many good cups of coffee elsewhere. I said "what cheer" to several delicious local beers over the weekend.


Ben lives in spitting distance of RISD and Brown University on College Hill, so there were tons of cute (and head) shops, bars, arthouse theaters and good-looking coeds. Even a Tealuxe! Saturday afternoon we went to a complicated graphic design exhibit at one of the RISD galleries, and here is Ben in the gardens outside:

The exhibit was beautiful and meta and mostly over my head, but I was amused by this page from a deconstructed artist's book.

We had beautiful, crisp weather all weekend except for a bit of spitting drizzle on Sunday. Saturday night we went to a multimedia dance performance at RISD, very modern and interesting with atonal electronic music and multiple projections on the floor and the screen behind the dancers. At least I thought so; color Ben "a little bored."

Providence is enormously photogenic, even with my indifferent phone camera. Many of the houses by the waterfront (where my hotel was) have plaques identifying the builder and the date.

From 1882.

Four tasteful pumpkins adorn the lintel.

My hotel room overlooked lovely India Point Park.

We also visited the Providence Athanaeum, the fourth oldest library in the country. It is still a circulating library, and there were students studying in the quiet, cozy space, the silence broken occasionally by the hiss of the Keurig machine. They still have their card catalog out to browse, though they are online now, of course.

Catalog card from 1891.

Photos make it look kind of grand, but it is full of old wood and window seats. Both Ben and I immediately grabbed a magazine and sat down to read. It's that kind of place.

They had a financial crisis in 2005, and the board, after much deliberation, decided to sell their precious Audobon "elephant" folio - for $5 million. There was apparently a lawsuit in protest, but the sale went ahead, and now the library is thriving.  This is the Egyptian Cabinet on the main floor, built in 1838 to house their copy of Description de l'Egypte, now in their rare books room.

About as big as a coffin, cool manuscripts inside.

But enough about the library! We walked all over College Hill and downtown on Saturday, which eventually wore my feet out, and I had to sit down. In a shoe store.

Born Attila. They were $65 off!

Then I had to come home, only a few hours ahead of Hurricane Sandy. My flight was the last United flight out before they closed the airport. Ben got a lot of rain and wind, but never lost power, thankfully. He's coming here for Thanksgiving (yay!), but I plan to go back to Providence after Christmas. I'm so pleased he lives in such a wonderful city. What cheer, Ben!

Quick Like a Bunny

It was very warm today, and this is what I wore. It had great significance to me this morning, it spoke to my personal style journey, but now I'm in a hurry because I have to go home and pack for my long weekend in Rhode Island with Ben!

Enjoy.