Pix-Elated

On my recent posts about casual statements and at work-at-home wear that is as comfy as PJs, I've discovered that there seems to be a bit of a divide between those who will happily wear tights with skirts and dresses and those who detest them; between those who enjoy wearing leggings and find them far more comfy or more flattering than tights, and those who find leggings uncomfortable, unflattering, or "undressed." 

Quite a number of you were worried that I would find my new dress-with-tights ensemble uncomfortable for a day at home. And several suggested leggings as a more comfortable and possibly better looking option.

I couldn't have been more surprised! 

Now, full disclosure: given a choice, I would far rather go bare-legged in a dress. And that is one big reason I wear more dresses in the summer!

I also think -- with my colouring -- it's easier for me to create cohesive and flattering outfits if am bare-legged and/ or wearing nude hose. Dark opaque tights (or leggings) do nothing to "lighten up" my winter world, alas. 

But. considering my climate, I need to wear something warm on my legs for half the year. Usually, by default, it is pants. But if I am wearing a dress, I would far, far, far rather wear tights underneath it than leggings, for comfort. 

Every legging I've ever tried has slid down on me through the course of the day. (How do you keep them up???? ) 

Plus, leggings leave lumps and bumps under my dress at the waistline -- so they end up adding bulk and feeling "bunchy."

Tights, on the other hand, conform more to my shape, and as E. says: I've always found mine to be very comfy as long as I don't twist them when putting them on!

But I suspect that she and I are in the minority on this. And I would love to be educated.

Are you Team Tights or Team Leggings? Vote YAY for tights and NAY for leggings -- and explain to me your thoughts! 

You may bench yourself if you hate both or never wear either. (Hot chocolate for you, because we like that in a cold climate...). 

And if you happily wear both, you can sit on a different bench, and eat some "elastic Turkish ice cream." 

I am starting to feel better! Still not myself, and I'm not sure I have the energy to post a photo "in the wild." So I decided to do the Angie Ensemble challenge today instead. 

Firmly on "Team Wear," I have on the navy BR tunic/ dress that I posted yesterday. It's great and will work perfectly for my at-home capsule. In full disclosure, if I make it out for a walk later on today, I am likely to change into something much more structured like jeans. 

I'm wearing my navy blouson tunic/dress with the long grey BR cardigan, a cognac belt, my ink Zara booties, navy tights, and a taupe/grey/black leopard print scarf from Old Navy. Plus my black specs. Black is more of an "accent colour" in my wardrobe than a neutral. I aim to be judicious with it. ;) 

I have sent back the red dress, the red Sloan pants, one of the plaid shirts (all in Finds), and some GAP items, including the mushroom oversized sweater that Una bought. I am also sadly returning the grey ruched skirt to BR because I think it is too short -- shorter than the dresses by far -- see photo 2!.

I kept this dress and an Angie-recommended blue gingham shirt. And I am feeling very responsible and in control. ;) 

First, a big thank you to all those who've been sending healing thoughts. The good news: I don't have pneumonia. 

The bad news: I do have lung scarring.  The reason isn't clear. Could be from the bronchitis. Or it could be that I DID have pneumonia and am now in the healing phase. 

In any case, there's still no treatment. Just wait and rest. (And shop online, LOL.) I do feel very slightly better today. 

In fact, I even felt well enough to try on clothes! And that's where you come in. 

In my quest for fashion that feels like PJs but looks like real clothes, and a greater variety of silhouettes for my work-at-home job and frequent travel, I have loved the Vince Camuto tube skirts -- in summer. Alas, they cling to tights like the dickens  -- plus, they are not warm enough for my winter climate. 

I had hoped I might find a bit of variety with leggings and tunics. But I have sadly concluded that it just isn't my look. I don't feel properly dressed in leggings, they continually fall down (even those lovely Lysee ones), and I just don't think they suit me all that well. Plus, when you get right down to it, the silhouette isn't all that different from my ponte pants or legging jeans tucked into boots -- an all too familiar look for me in my long winter!! 

But gryffin suggested the skirted Eileen Fisher leggings, and that intrigued me. I wondered if I might feel differently about a skirt in winter. A stretchy skirt. Especially considering how much I love the VC skirts. 

Now, I do have some problems with my cat. But he's most destructive to fancy tights and to sheer hose. He can't really do much damage to fleece tights or the like. 

So that got me thinking. 

Enter Exhibit A and B, two jersey dresses from Banana Republic. 

The first is a navy blouson style in a modal- poly jersey that is like silk jersey (i.e. a bit slippery). It is surprisingly warm! And it does not cling to tights. I am showing it on its own, and with a couple of oversized and fluid sweaters. It could use a good steaming, but it does have ruching that is part of the design. 

Next, the red dress. It's a wool-like poly jersey (i.e. not slippery), also warm. I actually wanted this in grey but they sold out. I have ordered a similar skirt in grey but it has not arrived yet. 

The red is much more of a "blue" red IRL than it seems in these photos. They call it "cranberry sauce" and that is what it looks like. In fact, it's not so different from the Munro booties, although the photos suggest otherwise. It's much more body con than the blue but not uncomfortable. 

My thought is that for frequent travel and work-at-home life, I would de-bombshell these dresses. I would wear with fleece lined tights for outdoors. 
But Ii could wear the red one as is for a holiday party. Or I could exchange for a black one, which might be more versatile. 

Could this kind of a look work as my new "at home" silhouette to give me the variety I crave in winter? Are these dresses current enough, worn as I might wear them? They are short...but are they too short for me? They stretch, so sitting isn't an issue. And I would mostly wear with opaque tights, I expect. 

Apologies for the length of this, and I would love to hear your thoughts. :)

This post is part of the post-more-what-I-wear challenge. Not that I really need to bore you with more posts, but what the heck. 

This is also part of the "keeping it real" theme. 

I have cut off my feet in #1. Which is fitting, since most of the day they were clad in socks alone. For the photo (and for my brief foray out) I wore my Zara ink booties. I also had a coat and scarf and bag, but I'm too tired to take a photo of all that. 

This is what I wore to the imaging department of the local hospital. They suspect pneumonia. Stay tuned! 

I can tell you one thing. Online shopping is a fab entertainment when you are exhausted. 

#2 is what I wore for an attempted visit to the Walk In clinic yesterday. It was too busy so I didn't bother going in. I wanted to try some subtle pattern mixing. Had to bump up the light so you could see. 

So, in all my snotty nosed, pouffy haired splendour. Send healing thoughts! :) 

I need to ramp up my indoor footwear! If shoes are a big part of my statements, no wonder I feel frumpy if I spend much of my time padding around in less-than-fab slippers. 

I'm hoping the YLF collected wisdom can help me out. 

In summer, I pretty much go barefoot at home in the house. But in winter, I've been wearing these Foamtreads for several years. (In Finds)

What I like/ what works for me: 

• Rubber sole -- I can go outdoors if I need to quickly, keep my feet warm on hardwood. 
• Fleece inside -- keeps feet warm
• Slip-on -- easy to get on and off and keeps me from getting too hot, which can also happen.
• Suede upper -- a little more shoe-like, less like PJs. 

What I don't like: 

• The fit is not perfect. They're a bit wide, and I tend to step on that little back piece so it flattens down and looks scrungy. 
• They may be unobjectionable, but they are hardly "fashionable." 

So...show me your slippers and house shoes! Tell me what you like and dislike. What could I wear indoors for a little more fashion flair? It can be an actual slipper, or it can be a shoe of some kind that is easy on/ easy off and not too heavy. I can wear wool socks for warmth. 

Note -- I would like to try some slip on sneakers, but unfortunately, I have not found a pair that stay on my feet. Ditto smoking slippers and basically, almost all flats -- although the rare exception does turn up now and again, and for something I love the look of, I would investigate. 

Thank you! And thanks also for putting up with my endless posts from the sickbed. YLF is my entertainment. 

Update:  I hit the buy button. And not for what I thought I would order. I have one pair of Uggs (like Parsley's) and one pair of smoking slippers on their way -- let's hope one or both will stay on my narrow heels. And thank you all! 

So, all you leggings ladies and texture loving mavens are encouraging me to try leather look leggings or pants and/or suede. 

My thighs do not profit from anything shiny upon them. So I thought I might look for suede. I am considering these pants. But reviews are very mixed. 

Anyone seen in person? I plan to place a "little" order from BR today. 

Oh -- and which of these cream sweaters do you like better? There's no harm in ordering both, I guess -- returns are easy. 

Thanks again, everyone who contributed to my Essentially Speaking thread. It was a really helpful discussion for me (and I hope others!) and led me to more than a few lightbulb moments. 

In the past year or two I've built a functional closet. I've focused largely on quality essentials, with quite a few "regulars" (i.e. essential-like items distinguished by colour or some special design detail).

And I love my essentials! But looking ahead to a long, long winter, and looking at what I have in the closet now -- I am worried that the same boredom that afflicted me last year may afflict me again. 

This summer, I did a lot of buying -- more than I expected. I was thrilled with my purchases, and -- for the first time ever -- happier with my summer wardrobe than my winter one. Why? Well, I think I figured it out. 

• I had more variety of silhouette (skirts, pants, shorts of different widths/ fabrication).
• I had more "statement" pieces -- tops or bottoms that were a little unusual. Maybe even a little bit tough to style -- but worth it. 
• I had more white and more colour. Dark neutrals worn day after day depress me. There is no getting around it. Sophisticated? Yes. But missing something I need. 

But what are those pieces? 

LisaP noted: 

I always have one or two statement pieces in every clothing and accessory category...

Now, is that ever smart! Because at the moment, my winter statement items for my work-at-home capsule tend to be:

• Footwear --- which I don't even wear indoors for my work-at-home life
• Belts (which I do wear -- but that explains why I get tired of the jeans and semi-tucked pullover look)
• Scarves (which I wear for reasons of practicality and warmth but often wish I didn't have to wear -- and that's a thread in itself!)