The second of the returns

Going back
Theory handbag

it was stiff.

The first of the returns

Going back
...the two jersey tops from Active Endeavors

Cute things

Being in a profession that requires I get in front of people every day, and act the authority, I have become a more conservative dresser. I leave most of my cute things (overalls, glitter shoes, slip dresses, shorts, miniskirts, fitted tops, and all but the baggiest jeans) at home when I get dressed in the morning.

In the way that I dress, I try not to give the wrong impression. I try to place a distance between myself and my audience. So nothing too young, nothing too playful or sexy.

Then when the weekend comes, too, it feels like too much of a shock for the system--too much exposure, sometimes--to haul out and put on those cute things.

Eventually, that translates to less wear for the short dresses and colorful tops, and then the next time I go shopping, I'm less apt to buy these things.

I'm starting to feel a little stifled in the way that I dress, accordingly. My favorite things, I can't wear.

Wallet!!!

I found one, at last. It's a little taller than the last one, so I'm hoping that receipts will fit comfortably inside. It's bright pink leather with an attached keyring. I found it today at Urban Outfitters as I was making a return.

I really like the CDG one, but it's a lot more than this one. This pink one gives me time for stalking a sale for the CDG, and if it never does get marked down, I think this one will work out just fine.

Keeping track

So rather than trying to maintain a budget, I have decided to use my bank account as a way of watching cash flow. So I've moved some money around, and now my new goal is to maintain a certain number in the checking account.

I have a few things arriving over the next few days. I've been bitten by the shopping bug. I don't plan to keep most of it, but I figure I'll spread them out on the bed and decide once they arrive.

Anthropologie (store visit)
slouchy grey v-neck sweater, Karoo by Mark Eisel
black skirt with ruched detailing
black l/s shirt with ruching at bust
striped racerback tank
grey cord jumper with lace detailing
grey wool t-back sweater dress, Paul & Joe Sister

Saks
black glazed leather handbag, Theory

Active Endeavors
blue striped boatneck tee, C&C California
black v-neck s/s top

Anthropologie (online)
grey booties, Lulu Guinness
grey wool semi-pleated skirt, Twinkle
2 handblown glass birds, Toikka
leather satchel, Rebecca Minkoff

Rag Nation
jeans, Helmut Lang

eBay
bright teal tee, Karen Walker

Floppy, revisited

I went through three phases of floppy dressing.

1. High school. Doesn't every girl go through a big-clothing phase at this age. The body is changing, every one is looking, and we're not ready for our debut. So. Big tee shirts, about three sizes too big.

2. College. Still too skinny, I swathed myself in loose tees and long skirts with cottony folds. Overalls were also part of the uniform. The ex-boy told me that I should dress with volume to cover my body so that I would look more my age, rather than twelve. I guess that was good advice, although in retrospect I resent the hell out of it.

2.5. Between 2 and 3 there was a brief, confused attempt to wear shorter, tighter, faster (again, at the prompting of a different boy du jour).

3. That phase passed. Now I find myself returning to some of the same shapes and volumes as before. A little more streamlined and cleaned up, but still essentially the same. And now that I'm living in the smaller meridians, I layer a lot. In the winter, I sometimes have something like 4 or 5 layers on.

I got this jumper dress reminiscent of a beloved, ill-washed set that I had in college. The lace at the yoke is supposed to fold down, not stay up in a frill like in the photo.

I like this example of loose dressing from Preen, too. I think that's my style. Men, be damned.

Possible wallet

Comme Des Garcons
"Like the boys"

I need a byline

Like this one, from a TFS member, who describes her style as "lackadaisical coquette-ish tomboy chic."

Questions

Will it make at least two outfits with my current wardrobe?

Does it work with what I have or will I have to acquire additional things to make it work?

How will it look after a wash or two?

Most importantly, do I love it?

Cleaned out the closet

So now, in addition to a suitcase of clothes to bring to Crossroads, I also have two shopping bags of stuff to try to sell. I think I'll do that this weekend.

Shopping list

1. long sleeve layering tee
-- I got one from C&C California, but I think it might be too flouncy still. I'm thinking I should just get a tissue tee from JCrew and be done with it. The ballet neck one that the boy got me for last year's birthday has gaping holes at the seams, but I still wear it.

2. handbag
-- This is not a given. I don't know that I need a new one for the season, although I wouldn't mind one. I think I'd like one that's smaller and more casual than the one I got a few months ago.

3. sweaters in interesting shapes to layer over other things

4. sturdy but pretty shoes
-- I'm thinking of the Converse Jack Purcell shoes in white.

5. loose black layering tank

6. well-cut pants

Cause of this bird

...I put in an order. *sigh*

Okay, I lied

I bought stuff.

I'm so ashamed.

This, along with something else. I don't like the model's poses, and they're not too remarkable really, so I won't post the other one.

But I rather liked this top because it seemed kinda ballerina-ish to me. It wraps around to a low banded bottom, then flounces out.

(And it was on sale.)

Rubber band solution

I rather like my McGyvor-ed rubber band wallet. The only thing that doesn't work for me is how it doesn't hold receipts all that well. Maybe that'll be incentive to empty and organize receipts more often?

Hmmm. It's that or the red wallet/clutch thingey I ordered from Yoox.

Weather schizophrenia

Maybe schizophrenia is not the word. I'm talking about the strange turns of weather that causes people to under- or overdress. Today, I saw one woman dressed in a tank top and shorts while her friend wore a thick cotton sweater and jeans.

How do you dress for weather that starts out at 68 degrees and ends at a sunny 78?

My solution: change outfits two or three times a day. Which works fine since I'm always returning home between outings.

I suppose I could just carry a sweater, but summer is so short and so glorious here, I like to revel in it when I can in my skimpy summer duds.

I was just thinking this morning about how Texas had shaped my ideas about summer clothing. Usually I'm pretty modest, but in Texas, modesty falls to the wayside when the temperature rises. It's nothing at all to wear strappy tanks and shorty shorts--everyone else does too (especially on college campuses). But here, I sometimes feel like a floozy.

Although, the boy and others noted how scandalously the girls dressed when the dial rose to a record-breaking 100 degrees a few weeks back. Then girls wore bikini tops, see-through white dresses, and dip-dip-dipping necklines while walking around the main commercial district in my neighborhood. I didn't notice that myself, but then again, I am not male. Personally, I don't go to those extremes.

Revised wishlist

I'm refraining from buying anything right now. Maybe it's because we're between seasons and sales. I don't want to buy any summer clothes--it's just not practical where I live now, when it's already cold enough to wear my thin cashmere hoodie in the mornings. And it's too early for Fall, either to truly contemplate or to seriously acquire for. I'm no squirrel. Hoarding away for the winter has not worked out well for me. Buying in advance of necessity is a practice that I'm gonna try to abandon.













So that leaves wishing. I still want the Twinkle wool skirt. And I found a pair of fantastic grey suede booties and glazed leather handbag, too, from Lulu Guinness and Theory, respectively. The latter items I just find so slick and cool, but at this moment unnecessary. Would they fit into my lifestyle? Do I have a slick and cool life? I think not.

As Coco Chanel said, "elegance is refusal."

Wallet

Currently, I am using a yellow rubber band to hold my credit cards, cash, and receipts together. My keys are on a separate kewpie doll keychain, attached to a rainbow-colored velcro strip (originally meant to go around flapping pants legs when you bike).

What's the phrase the kids use these days? Ghetto fabulous?

Perfume

In college, it was my goal to find a perfect histamine-inducing perfume. I wanted it to be fresh and flowery, like walking through a meadow that makes you sneeze at every step. I found a pretty good candidate in Origins "Spring Fever." Even the name had the effect I was after.

I found a even better version yesterday. The limited edition "Grass" from Marc Jacobs. Just like a mown lawn, but with a few lighter notes thrown in.

But yesterday I was looking for something a little more grown-up and sophisticated. Enter Prada Tendre. There's patchouli and sandalwood oil in there (I admit it. I like those smells. So sue me. I came of age in Austin, world of hippies.), but it's not too overpowering. I like.

That anthropologie skirt

I still covet it. I think I must get it.

The styling on the runway is rather dumb, and I wonder if the whole egg-shaped silhouette is terminally trendy. But still I crave it.

Yoox searches

A.P.C.
Anne Valerie Hash
Ann Demeulemeester
Chloe
Clements Ribeiro
Dries Van Noten
Eley Kishimoto
Etoile Isabel Marant
Hussein Chalayan
Jessica Ogden
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Marni
Miu Miu
See by Chloe
Sonia Rykiel Paris
Theory
Vanessa Bruno

Color palette

Mostly...
> grey
> navy blue
> teal
> white
> black

To add contrast and "pop"...
> french blue
> yellow, faded
(more watery sunshine at the ocean than mustard on a corndog)
> brown
> grass green

In the back of my mind, when I'm shopping, I'm trying to stay within this color scheme. The key to having a more versatile wardrobe is having separates that can mix and match, in terms of proportions and color. So I tell myself, to dissuade myself from kaleidoscope patterns.

Proportion: I want most of my tops to end at about the hip area, since I hate to tuck in and I'm too short to wear longer. For skirts, I like them at the knee or a few inches above. Although, come winter, I might try to channel a little grunge circa 1990 with long, puddley, mud-colored skirts.

Colors: While I still am drawn to pretty things, I'm trying to think about the color palette before getting them. Will the color coordinate with other things in my closet? Will I need to buy something else to make them work? Do I love it?

Anthropologie wishlist

At some point, I will look back and be embarrassed that I had been so enamored of the things in Anthropologie. But for now, I turn my un-cynical eye to a few things on my wishlist, with their accompanying catalog copy.

Steeplechase Skirt

Folds of plush wool gauze create a quirky, egg-shaped silhouette. With side pockets and a self-belt. From Twinkle by Wenlan. Lined. Side zip. Dry clean. Grey. 17.5"l. Imported.

Summer Carry-all

Roomy and reliable, this soft pecan leather doctor's bag by Rebecca Minkoff is a sure-fire cure for the accessory blahs. Brass hardware. Canvas lining with pocket. Zip closure. 11"l, 16"w, 7"d. USA.

White Toadstool Study

Tricholoma fulvum, made of papier mache and real moss. 3"l, 2.5"w, 5"h. Brazil.

Back to school

When I was in middle and high school, my siblings and I would usually take one special trip to the mall to get back-to-school clothes. My budget was small--$100, and that would be for the whole year--so I chose my items very carefully.

Afterward, back at home, I would take days to decide on the outfit to wear on the first day of school. I would consider and reconsider, laying the outfit out on my bed. When the day finally came, it would be hard to sleep the night before, and I would wake with fluttering butterflies in my stomach. First days of school were all about this year being different...reinvention...and all the wishes and longings that I had (innumerable as a child) would come true.

I remember those clothes vividly. One year, my first day outfit even had a name. It was the "purple pantsuit." Purple polo shirt over purple cords.

I'd like to retain now that same attachment and care for my things as I had then, but without the sense of paucity.

Crap

I don't think I'm that much better at choosing stuff that I'll love for a long time. The stupid dresses I got at Forever 21? Most of them, I haven't worn. One I like, and the rest were filling a void. But I didn't love them then, and I hardly like them now.

Too many patterns. Too much texture. Too long. Too fussy.

And then all this other crap. I think I'll have to do a major DIY session and overhaul some stuff. And edit this stupid closet.

I need a girlfriend who can come over to the apartment, lounge on the bed, and offer opinions. I need a gf. Some things, boys can't help that much on. The boy isn't so bad at offering fashion opinions, but he doesn't have to wear this stuff. And he doesn't take it seriously.

Eck.

Twinkle by Wenlan

Some clothes make you think of a scene.

The coat makes me picture a grey stone building. Perhaps a library or a school building. Dripping eaves, gentle mist. Slow dusk. Armful of books and the concrete texture of the sidewalk.

Fall

Fall is approaching, or at least it has already hit the stores. I'm trying to THINK about what I need to get for the upcoming cold weather.

I'm mostly underdressed in the winter. It comes from a childhood in Texas.

Crisis

I had a crisis this morning. A lost USB key. My new resolution? No more technology. God, what a yoke of slavery. Let's get back to pen and paper.

Second observation came because I went to work without putting on my myriad lotions and creams (Indeed, without even a shower. I had to find this key.). Even though my lotions and moisturizers are transparent, I felt nekkid without them. I hadn't realized how much of a barrier they had placed between me and the world, both physically and emotionally. Like war paint.

Both observations, by the way, will be roundly ignored once the adrenaline passes. i am typing away on a computer, obviously, and come tomorrow, it'll be me and Rose Cream once again.

Things I want but won't get

YSL Flapper tote: Nicely sized for school, which would be my justification for spending a month's rent on a handbag. Which I won't. But lusting is free.


Theory Rowland jacket: I imagine this as cool mom gear. It's basically a hoodie, but with some seaming and detail to give it shape and sophistication. I won't be needing this for awhile yet, though.


Marc by Marc Jacobs layering sweater: So his grunge revisited line has started hitting the store for Fall. Nostalgia, yes, please. I already have a sheer sweater in white, though, so I'll wait for black to come out hopefully.


Marc by Marc Jacobs silk tie shirt: In my perfect dreams, I picture myself wafting through the unshuttered courtyard of a building in some far post-colonial country. The grass and trees would shimmer in the heat and distance. I would wear silk, in watercolor colors.

Stores

Basics
for layering pieces, tee shirts, sweaters

. J. Crew
Probably the go-to place for layering tees and cashmere sweaters.

. Gap
I hate going in here because the desperate marketing is palpable. Or maybe i've read too many articles about their downward trend.

. Forever 21
Their stuff holds up suprisingly well considering everything's about $10.

. Target
Hanes t-shirts

. Banana Republic
I hardly ever go in here, but have found good things when I have. Jeans for the boy, on sale at $5. My beloved black cardi.

. Old Navy
Cheaper and more fun than Gap.


Long-term basics
for good quality foundational pieces that'll last a long time

. Anthropologie
You have to plow past the cheapy store brands like Fei and Sleeping on Snow and go for the designers like Ella Moss or Splendid. Their store brand Odille is okay, too.

. Isabel Marant
Not a store, but a brand. Really well-done, basic pieces with a quirky French twist.

. Banana Republic
A lot of their clothes hold up well. Sometimes that's because they're made with thick, stiff, boxy cotton, though.

. J. Crew
They interpret some upmarket styles a little preppier, a little more basic.

. Club Monaco
I haven't gotten a lot of things from here, but good-quality basic stuff is their segment.

Trendy stuff
for whatever fun style that I'll get sick of upon seeing it on everybody

. Forever 21
No way would I spend $200 on shorts. But $14, okay.

. Thrift stores
Surprising how you can find current trends here. Fashion is recycled, after all, in about a 20-year cycle.