Then and Now

Carla started a trend! :)  Thanks for the brilliant idea, Carla. 

A few from my archives. 

1. Very first WIW photo.  June 2011. So...all items except the cardigan and shoes, thrifted. Wearing my worst colour (orange) as an experiment. The outfit was not a success. Even so...some constants: 

  • Cropped pants (I was wearing them even before Angie would tolerate them, LOL!)
  • 3 pieces. 
  • Daytime sparkle! (The top has sparkly threads). 
  • Ecco shoes. (Those slides were soooooo dated at the time. Did I know? Nope. ;) 

2. The updated version: May, 2019. New hair, cooler colours, more flattering neckline, longer cardigan. The top, though, like the first one, was a dud. Wore it only a handful of times -- it kept stretching out and just didn't make me happy. 

3. March, 2012. Mustard bag with blues and cool tones!

4. October, 2012: Fuchsia jacket. This was the "gateway drug" -- cheap as chips from H&M (literally -- $10) as an experiment. I learned that I adored wearing a bright jacket. 

5. October, 2019: Fuchsia jacket and mustard bag! 

6. April, 2012: Stripes, red, and denim jacket. The denim jacket is still in my closet all these years later. It was one of my first YLF purchases and has stood the test of time. 

7. Here it is in July 2019.

8. July 2013: the power of a black jacket, something sparkly, denim, and statement boots. 

9 and 10. Dec. 2019. Ditto!  

11. Jean jacket again, this time with Zara shorts  -- 2014...

12. ...and 2016...

13....and 2019....

I could go on and on and on..I didn't even get to the "big collar coat" photos or the "military detailing coat" photos -- there are a series of those, too.

The constants are clear to me, though. Blue (duh!). White. Brights as accents (mostly red and fuchsia.) Love of a 3rd piece (mostly jackets but cardigans in a pinch). Stripes and some florals. 

Jenni has broken down the number of items still in her wardrobe from pre-YLF days and early YLF days. I don't have any from pre-YLF days since I changed size significantly. But I do have a handful from early YLF days (denim jacket included) and, as you see, many items last for 5 years or more in the closet and get worn either in new ways or the same way....

Thanks all of you for patiently helping me to refine my style and special thanks to Angie for starting me off with a haircut and supporting all my experiments! 

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2019 Style Review: Numbers and Reflections

It's getting to be that time, right? :) 

Here's the Suz review for 2019. 

Purchases 34.

This includes coats, footwear, bags, dressy items, and even scarves. 

It does not include gear, PJs and purely functional items like gloves and hats for outdoors. (Although there is one "outdoor" scarf in my Purchases collection because it is so pretty I might try to wear it inside  if not too hot.) 

2 items are missing because they wore out and I had to retire them within their season. Thank you very much Zara. OTOH, I did get a great deal of wear from them even in that one season, so it wasn't a total waste. I just hate to think of the landfill. 

I made 35 retirements.   

I may be missing one or two items here that I've been waffling about and are in holding but will actually be going out the door soon. In any case, the numbers are more or less equal, which is pretty typical for me. 

Analysis

Of the purchases, one was on consignment. Everything else was purchased on substantial sale, either at NAS, the Rack, or a storewide sale.

10 items (or about 1/3) were replacements/ upgrades for things I was retiring due to wear and/or datedness, often direct replacements. (E.g. silver bootie for silver bootie, higher waist jeans for lower waist jeans.)

I’d class at least 10 of the items as essentials to my style. The rest are statements or completers.

This was the year of fun AND practical footwear for me. Almost all my new footwear makes a big statement. I love it that way and love how footwear can work to update a look. I bought 2 statement booties, 1 statement boot, and 2 statement sneakers! 

My goals for 2019 were:

1. Spend time reflecting on how I can reconcile my “trendy” style persona with my ethical aspirations. Shopping for statement items (and even some essentials) via consignment is one way; patronizing local and/or ethically conscious designers for essentials is another. But what about wardrobe churn? I plan to set aside a weekend just to research, and another weekend to reflect on it and make some plans.

I did this reflection. I resolved to purchase less and try to buy more on consignment. I did well on the first sub-goal— I made 20 fewer purchases last year than the previous year — almost cut my purchasing in half! But I didn't do so well on the second goal. I shopped consignment but only found one item I wanted. That is the nature of it. 

Retired items were either well and truly worn out, or they went to good homes, some to my step-daughter, who values them. 

"In the meantime, I will continue my more-or-less intuitive style of shopping — editing out what’s worn or doesn’t fit or doesn’t please me and adding as I see fit, just observing my patterns without judgement."

Success! And the result was really positive — I think just setting the intention to purchase more mindfully seemed to help.

2. Continue to wear outfits that are: Modern, Classic, Vivid, Practical, and Playful.

I think I achieved that.

3. "Revisit the idea of a work-from-home “uniform” that does not include jeans."

Did not really do this. It didn’t seem necessary in the end.

4. "Revamp/upgrade my gear."

Did that last January and am very happy I did. 

A few favourite outfits from the year. I didn't take a lot of photos, so it is what it is! 

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Double breasted and cutaway

Sorry to be a forum hog today. 

While I was impulse shopping for silver boots,  I decided to go whole hog and try on some coats while I was at it. As I mentioned in the blog yesterday, I adore and have always adored double breasted coats and jackets and military styling in general. 

I have also been searching for "my" long (midi length) coat for ages. It's been a lot more difficult to find than I expected. 

Somehow, without fully intending to, today I found myself trying on the pricey-for-me Mackage Elodie. 

Ooops!!! 

No, Fab Friends, I did not purchase it. It's very maxi length on me and doesn't look at all the way it does in the stock photos.

I don't know if it overwhelms me in scale. It was hard for me to judge because I was so in love with it. ;)

Quality, and fit (apart from length) surprisingly great, and I don't even mind the length, TBH. It's very tailored, nipped at the waist, and cutaway with a back vent, so when you sit, it's not all uncomfortable, unlike many long coats. It is navy, by the way, not black. 

I am wearing it here over jeans, the forum fave sweater (BR ribbed merino) and a not-too-thick blazer. 

I couldn't get perfect photos and I didn't try it with the doubled over collar (as pictured in the stock photo) but did try the collar in a Revere style and also pushed up at the neck (a common thing I do). 

I don't know if this coat will go on sale at all. Hard to say. Temperature wise, it wouldn't really work in Montreal -- too open in the front. But for Vancouver/ Victoria/ Seattle and even Toronto/ New York -- it's good with the right outfit. 

Thoughts? 

I can probably justify it financially if I take on another contract. AND if it is the kind of thing I'll keep in the closet for years. 

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Sock it to me: 1177 Review

(Sorry, bad pun). 

Janet recently started a great thread about socks.

Her timing was brilliant for me because I had just been fretting about my paucity of knee highs. As many of us have noted, these are a new necessity with the wider leg trousers if you live in a cold or even cool climate.

My favourite gear and more-than-gear store (Altitude) always has a Black Friday week sale, so I decided to try out a new-to-me brand of trouser socks. The sale was substantial so I ordered a bunch. They arrived today and I put one pair through its paces (ha ha again...my 10,000 steps in disgusting weather).  I have to say I am very impressed!!

The brand is 1177.

https://www.1177.store/en/

I'm usually an Icebreaker or Smartwool wearer but their knee high selection leaves a lot to be desired, at least in the thinner trouser sock department.

I was skeptical about these, because they are not wool but some man-made fabric.

But...wonder of wonders...what they claim on that website is totally true! Your feet don't sweat or get cold. Or at least mine did not. (These styles would not be warm enough for -20C but that is not what I am talking about.) It was a cold and extremely rainy 6 or 7C in Vancouver today -- felt much colder, to me -- and I wore these with my waterproof Cons. Those shoes have Goretex lining so they sometimes become uncomfortably warm indoors, even with breathable wool socks. Today, though, I felt perfectly comfortable inside and out.

Meanwhile, the fit of these socks is spectacular! There is a right and a left foot! The heel is constructed so that it stays on your own heel (even if narrow, like mine -- and you know, I have SERIOUS sock slippage with most brands). The leg portion does not slip down but it does not feel in the least constricting and it doesn't leave a big red mark on my leg where the top elastic is. The sock is thin enough for dress shoes. And it comes in a ton of patterns and a few plains.

Of course I can't vouch for how well or how long they will wear, but I am extremely pleased so far and would recommend them. I ordered size small for my 6.5 / 37/ 7 foot.

ETA: Thanks for other recommendations, all. A little update -- they are not completely perspiration free -- I guess you can't have a synthetic sock that doesn't sometimes create that problem. And they are not the warmest. But they do fit, stay up, and are washing well. And comfort level higher than some other synthetics I have tried, for sure.

16 comments

Style Moniker: For Column

On another thread of mine, Column wrote: 

"Question: If you were to describe a style moniker based on just the sleeveless version of this outfit (no layering) in isolation, what would it be? To Carla`s request for updating YLF profiles: I really don`t know how to describe my style. In images, this one is it! I tend toward Duchess Kate in color, fit, and the best quality that I can afford (not hers, of course), but even she is sometimes too staid for my taste (crew necklines, long sleeves, skinny jeans). I like Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, and some Bacall—but I can`t wear the latter as well as Carla. And I like to add liberal doses of color and currency to all of these." 

First, thanks for the compliments, Column. 

I put the outfit below for reference. 

Honestly, I don't have a special name for it...I'd say it's Modern Classic. Or maybe "Trendy Modern Classic." Which is sort of a double oxymoron, maybe, but sort of not? 

It's classic, in that it's a simple blue outfit, nothing fancy -- sleeveless top, jeans, booties. 

It's modern in that the classic elements are in modern cuts/ styles -- the peplum top, the cropped jean, the sock bootie. 

It's a bit trendy in that the jeans are the newer wide legs and high waisted. 

My overall goal is to create outfits that are: 

Modern, Classic, Vivid, Practical, and Playful.

My moniker used to be "urban prince" and the name still fits to a degree...but sometimes I veer more feminine than that. Really I think I have a modern classic gamine style, if that makes sense. Purely classic is too staid for me; I need a bit of drama or everything falls flat. Drama usually comes through cut, colour, pattern, or especially, irregular outfit juxtaposition. 

Of the names you mention -- Audrey and Jackie O (to some extent) might be considered gamine (though Kibbe called Jackie O a dramatic classic.) Kate would be classic or dramatic classic. Bacall would be dramatic, probably...

Drama is necessary to Dramatics (duh), to Dramatic Classics, and to Gamines, but expressed in slightly different ways. I know I'll never feel fully myself without a dose of drama -- a long earring adds some of that in a very simple outfit. So does the shawl and the coat and even, to an extent, the column of dark colour. 

33 comments

Pantone 2020 the Festive Way

Pantone's classic blue may be a "safe" choice after the radiant orchids, emeralds, and corals of recent years. But for me, it's still "true blue." Yesterday I met a friend for a glass of wine and then we went on to a publisher's party. Blue to the rescue, along with some festive red and my consignment dressy coat. 

Temps were uncertain so I brought a sweater just in case, but ended up keeping it in my bag and simply wearing the scarf as a shawl. The scarf is sparkly -- it was a Secret Santa gift from a YLF friend years ago and remains my fave holiday accessory. I get compliments every time I wear it! (No Find). 

First festive outfit of the season. I like how it came together out of the odds and ends of my closet. Nothing new this year except the jeans. 

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