Pix-Elated

Taking inspiration from DonnaF's  thread about sweater vests, and one of Carla's comments on my thread of yesterday: "When I did a lot of quilting, we talked about patterns that read as solids, and how much interest low contrast or tonal prints added to a composition. Of course it would be the same with garments! Maybe even a good thing, where texture is lacking?"    

Well, let's see. Here, I'm trying it in greys. This is something a bit tricky for me. Grey is a key neutral and looks good on me (I think) but I can easily depress myself if I wear too much of it, especially this time of year! But the sun is supposed to come out this afternoon, and I have to ride my bike downtown. I wanted something practical. 

The pants are charcoal, not black, and they have a faint check in a lighter grey. The shirt is black and white gingham that can read as a false plain (but gives me that pop of light that I crave). So it's a very subtle pattern mix. The vest is medium grey, as are the boots.

Strangely enough, I do not own a grey coat (I donated my two older grey coats in the last few years. They still fit and were in good condition after a decade's solid use, but I was so tired of wearing them.) This oyster jacket has a slight grey cast and is the best I could do for greyish outerwear. If I were not trying this experiment, I would certainly have reached for the red jacket instead! 

If I weren't on my bike, I could have worn different boots for perhaps a bit more pizzazz. But I do feel very much myself in this outfit -- it does fit the Laid-back Luminous Garçonne persona due to the boyish nature of the vest and shirt, I think. 

Here's a collection of other items I can play with in greyscale. If i veer toward pure white, I would have more. 

I welcome comments and co-experimenters! 

Following up on SarahDB's recent thread, and less directly, on Sal's, about influence (because even if I don't follow any influencers, I can't help but have noticed all the neutral tonal outfits out there on the internet....) I've decided to try to experiment a bit with tonal dressing to see whether or how it might work for me. So I'll be making some posts like this periodically. 

I think I'm a natural contrast dresser. I mean that's my fall back. Maybe because "a pop of colour" was in the air (or on my mother's lips) when I was a kid. Who knows? 

Anyway, I was interested in Brooklyn's comment: "To me tonal dressing is more soft and moody. While contrast dressing is more fresh and punchy." That makes a lot of sense and explains why tonal outfits can read as effortlessly elegant or sophisticated, especially in soft or dark neutrals. 

On the other hand, fresh and a bit crisp or punchy are pretty good descriptors for my style (and gamine style, more generally) so maybe it's understandable that I would reach for some contrast as a rule, even though my own personal colouring is fair and quite low contrast. 

But then I got thinking about Angie's experiments with bright tonal looks over the past few years -- hot pinks with reds and/ or oranges, or burgundies with brighter reds, various greens together....that kind of thing. Those definitely don't read as soft and moody to me -- they are very playful or punchy. Yet at the same time, they feel very "pulled together" and modern. 

Where does that leave the Laid-back Luminous Garçonne? 

I can make tonal outfits pretty easily with my key neutrals -- blue, grey, and white. All grey (without white) depresses me too much to wear very often. Tonal blue outfits are fine, even good...but I usually feel like something is missing -- I may lack the textural variety in my blues unless I include denim -- I'm not sure. (Experiments to come!) Up until now, my most successful neutral tonal outfits have been versions of white-out. I really like wearing whites and ivories together and it works well on me. Is that because white is bright? Hmmmm? Maybe. 

In the past, I've lacked the bottoms to make tonal outfits in a colour vs. a neutral. But now I have red, burgundy, and lilac bottoms to try. And I plan to do just that! Today's experiment is with red. 

1. Starting with the Everlane sweater, Collette crops in velvet, and my black Eccos. I'm also wearing a burgundy watch band and garnet earrings. I have some variation in colour and texture, but it does not feel like a complete "outfit" to me. 

2. Taking a cue from Brooklyn's comment that you can use prints and dress tonally if the background of the print is in the dominant family, I  added a scarf and now it feels like an outfit. I wore this to a friend's book launch the other night and got tons of compliments, especially considering she was also wearing red and her book cover was black and white with red accents. :) 

3. Another option -- a tonal strap for the bag. 

4. Scarf and bag strap -- does that make it less sophisticated? Too much going on? 

5. Ah, the pop of colour sneaks in via a bag.... this is very "me" but is it tonal? Maybe if I had mustard boots to go with...but alas, I do not....

6.Cranberry coat. 

7. Add a red cloche and gloves....

8. Casualize with puffer and red plaid boots. 

9. Add a burgundy hobo. 

Overall, I felt like "me" in a red tonal outfit and -- oddly, perhaps, but perhaps also proving Brooklyn's point -- wearing all red felt less "in your face" than wearing red with my white jeans, for example (two brights). (Photo 10) For me, the latter is just a bit much -- I mean, I wore it and liked it, but it was for a very casual day at home. And it felt more casual and less sophisticated. 

I'd love your thoughts or impressions. Have you tried tonal dressing in brights? Have you tried it at all? Do you think you will? 

The long range forecast tells you one thing -- but you get something entirely different! On a recent trip to Ontario, I experienced this twice. I spent the first few days near Toronto with my brother, where the weather was much colder and windier than predicted, and despite having packed layers, I nearly froze on our lakeside walks  Next came a dressy-ish evening work event in Toronto. I wore a "suit" of my blue knit jacket, silk blouse, blue wide legs, raincoat, and cream boots and felt appropriately and comfortably dressed for the occasion.  Then I left for Kingston for more work and visits with friends. There, the weather was a balmy 18-21 and sunny most of the time, and I was often too warm! 

Still, it was glorious to walk along the lake and check out the autumn colours. 

I took a leaf from Dee and aimed for the 3x3 capsule (3 bottoms, 3 tops, 3 toppers -- aside from activewear) but in the end I added more mid-layers (i.e. sweaters), and was glad I did. 

The new boots were excellent for comfort except for when I wished I had something other than boots.  The runners are my active-wear ones, meant for long walks or hikes or jogs, not fashion. But because my only other choice of footwear was ankle covering, I was often too warm and and had to rely on the sneakers in a few situations where they didn't look particularly good with the bottoms. I wish I'd brought my blue oxfords instead. The velvet pants were also not the best choice.

Oh well -- live and learn -- maybe? 

How do you manage packing for transitional weather? Any great (or awful) experiences to share? 

As the days get shorter (sob!) and the mornings dawn a bit cooler (at least where I live), I'm thinking about what worked and what didn't, this summer. It was a strange season for me. Some typical favourites barely saw the light of day (white shorts, I am looking at you), and some wildcards became workhorses. 

To wit: orange Cole Haan sandals. These are comfy, versatile, and work well with my blues. I never wear orange because it looks horrid on me, but even at 5'4", my feet are pretty far from my face. :) I wore these for some portion of almost every day. A+

However, the Zara top I bought to wear with them was less successful. I was hoping to replace my much-beloved blue gingham cotton voile Loft top, which I wore on repeat for nearly a decade of summers. This top is the same fabric and also patterned (to disguise the sheerness of voile) so it should have been a summer slam dunk, right? Hmmm. Not so much. Don't get me wrong. I wore it. It is more yellow than in the photo and therefore less flattering on me, but that wasn't the main problem. The main problem is that unlike my old gingham top, it is a fitted shirt -- which means it is not as cool and airy as my old blouse. Hence, much less wearable. C-

What was a hit was my very boxy blue Everlane cotton top. LOVE this and have worn it a ton. Simple, oversized, minimalist -- I feel almost as cool and stylish as Irina, wearing this. :) It works with all my shorts and cropped pants. A+ (and if they had any other colours left, I'd be duplicating, but they don't.) 

Slightly less successful but not unsuccessful -- the striped Everlane soft cotton shirt. It's truly soft, doesn't wrinkle a lot, and  is nicely sun protective. But due to the short length and lightweight fabric, it doesn't drape quite as well. B+

My other footwear purchase was also something of a middling success. I love the look of these Mary Janes and they are super fun with various outfits. And comfy for short trips when I am mostly driving or on the bike. But they are too flat for real comfort, for me -- definitely not walking shoes. Which, given my lifestyle, means I didn't wear them a lot. I will probably get some use of them in September and again in May, next year. A for fun factor and looks, C for real comfort.  (sigh)

How about you? Did you have surprise MVPs this season (fall/ winter if you are in the opposite hemisphere)? Did you have any mistakes or flops? To what do you attribute their success or lack thereof?

We fly out tomorrow and the weather looks...unpredictable! 

Highs will be between 18-20 and lows around 11, but for the rest it looks like thunderstorms, sun, cloud, showers, and everything in between -- on all the days we will be visiting! 

We're no strangers to variable weather, but it does make packing and dressing for a day/ evening out a bit of a challenge! 

I am checking a bag. I have several dressy evenings, several urban-casual days, several slightly dressier urban days, one day-into-evening that has to be both casual and more dressy, with no opportunity to go back and change between times, and, as I mentioned, I am going to need clothes for different weather eventualities. 

Below is my tentative packing list: 

Footwear: blue flatform oxford, white oxford, silver slingback, silver eneaker. (I had wanted to take the red Mary Janes but in all honesty don't think I would choose them for a long day of walking). ALL shoes waterproofed. If it really does rain a lot, I'm likely to wear the navy oxfords and the silver sneakers the most. 

Toppers: Packable raincoat, denim jacket, Paul Smith linen/wool blazer, jersey military jacket.

Gilet: Burgundy Theory (part of co-ord set, but also works as a sleeveless top with the pants and/or coordinates with jeans and Dries pants). 

Knitwear: Cotton t-neck, silk/cotton leopard cardigan, cotton mariner tee. 

Shirts/ blouses, LS: Denim shirt, striped cotton shirt, blue silk popover, silk cat print shirt,. 

Tops for layering or warmer than expected weather: Ecru Everlane, navy BR sleeveless. 
   
Evening/ dressy tops: Vince l/s silk popover burgundy blouse (not a dress, as in Finds photo). Blue peplum top. Silver sleeveless top. 

Bottoms: Navy wide legs, Curve jeans, burgundy Theory pants (part of co-ord set, navy skirt, Dries cotton/linen pants (good for warmer weather). 

Bags: Silver Pom Pom London, Burgundy hobo. 

2 scarves
PJs 
Undies
Packable umbrella/ rainhat

Am I neglecting anything, missing anything? 

Here are a few try-ons mostly without any bags, jewellery, etc -- so partly but not wholly styled, if you get my meaning. I did not try everything with everything but it pretty much coordinates in a wide variety of combinations. 

QUESTIONS: Should I bring merino pullover as well?

Anything missing? 

Hi, all! I promised to style up the blue basque skirt and see how it works for me. Here are some semi-styled options. I say semi-styled because I didn't really deal with hose, accessories beyond footwear, etc. 

Dee hit the nail on the head when she said this skirt seemed a bit outside my usual style persona. That is true -- the fullness makes it come across as more feminine. But of course, even a garçonne wants to look like a girl sometimes. :) For dressy events, say. 

1-3 First I'm trying it with my very old J. Crew peplum jacquard top. I love this top and it forms a key element of my dressy capsule. I think this works as a two piece dress. Different footwear options available. 

4. Tried it with my oversized denim jacket. 

5. A tucked in shirt. Could do with a plain white shirt for a more classic look. 

6. With my slim cropped denim jacket. 

7-8  With oxfords and my new Everlane shirt. It feels very 20s! 

9-10 With knotted tee and denim. 

11-12  Could be an at home winter holiday look. 

13 - 16.  With my Sandwich knit military jacket.

17. With a sequin camisole under denim. 

Bonus photo bomber at the end....

I have plenty of other footwear options -- tall boots, stompy boots, sneakers, sandals of various kinds. 

You can probably see in the close ups that the fabric is rather like taffeta. It has a stiffness and heft to it. I would not wear it casually in summer at all, though I might in cooler months. 

I was inclined to send it back before trying it on these ways, but I'm inclined to keep it now. It is very comfortable. It is cross-seasonal (spring, fall, winter, with possible evening summer wear). It can be worn at various levels of dressiness. It will not wrinkle (so it could travel, though it's a bit bulky and heavy.) It works with many things in the closet. 

What think you? Keep or Return? 

NOTE: If I keep, I am going to retire two older skirts. 

Hi, all. I need some help with making a decision.

Mr. Suz is celebrating a significant birthday this year and we are going on our first longer trip since 2019! We will be travelling to London (UK) for 10 days mid-to-end of May. I'm starting to put together a capsule of items I might (might!) bring, incomplete of course and in flux at this point. I will be watching weather and thinking about our specific activities and adding/ subtracting items as seems fit. So far, plans include museums, theatre, lots and lots and lots of walking, and of course lots of eating! We may or may not take a day trip or two. 

This trip being to the UK, I think a trench coat is in order. I own 3 trenches. One, a short Theory in black (gift of a lovely fabber many years ago!) is not in consideration. My other two trenches are a very old black London Fog (one of my first YLF purchases) and a newer cobalt trench from Hobbs. 

Both are very classic. They are approximately the same just-below-knee length on me. The Hobbs is more fitted under the arm than the London Fog. It is also a more substantial fabric. The London Fog is roomier in the skirt portion also, with a slightly wider vent in the back. Both are water resistant, not waterproof. 

I am showing them both layered over the thickest sweater I would probably bring (which is itself layered over a shirt). I also tried the Hobbs over a tweed jacket, and it works, but isn't ideally comfortable. 

My first question is, which one of these do you think I would do best to bring? 

My second question is: should I consider the purchase of a more current type of trench to bring instead, i.e. a slightly oversized one that would layer more easily? I think at my size/ height  I need to be careful with oversized coats, but I would love some extra dramatic length, and I have long wanted a lighter coloured trench coat. I have been looking for less expensive versions -- one very well reviewed at Oak & Fort (but it is polyester, hmmm), and one from Mango. I might be able to wear the stone colours (rather than yellow beige). 

I would also consider a new navy trench if I found the right one.  My hesitation is that although trench coats are a slam dunk for my style and I adore them, I tend not to wear them much! This is due to my suburban lifestyle. When I lived in a more urban setting, I wore them all the time. Having said that, I would happily donate the black trench in favour of a new navy or lighter coloured one. It is very old but still looks pristine and it has served me well. It would serve another person who wears black better for many years more. 

I'm showing in #1 just the sweaater/ pants and then some jackets I also tried to layer. 

#4-10 show the blue layered with various items, but mostly the thick sweater. 

#11-14 show the black London Fog. 

I would love to hear any thoughts you might have. And if anyone has seen a fantastic slightly oversized trench in a lighter cool tone or navy, let me know! 

Ah, wait, final option would be a more casual type of coat to replace/ upgrade my beloved J. Crew long utility coat which I adore but which is really showing its age. 

You've seen a few of these already. I had fun with this for exactly the reason SarahDB said she had fun -- I liked anticipating my next day's outfit. 

I definitely repeated my red velvet crops..This is their season so I am milking it. In another month or so I won't want to wear them as often. 

Monday features Fair Isle socks and loafers! Waving at SarahDB again (and thanks for the inspiration, Sarah.) It's a good challenge to beat winter doldrums.  

All outfits include a mix of old and new items. On Monday I decided to add that to the challenge -- no repeated outfits (repeated items ok), and all outfits need to mix old and newer items. 

I didn't show outerwear for every outfit but I've added other coats worn, in Finds. 

We have had this conversation on the forum before but Irina's recent observations about duplication in her goals thread, and the very interesting responses made me think it might be time to revisit the subject. 

I was about to respond on her thread that I "never" duplicate, or almost never. And you know...8 months ago if I had said it, it would have been entirely true. Except for socks, undies, bras, PJs, a pair of sneakers I have repeated a bunch of times, and some Blondo booties, I had pretty much nothing in my closet that was an exact duplicate or a dupe in different colour from anything else. 

Then I thought of my more recent shopping. ;)  What is going on here? I have just purchased a ton of dupes! 

Let's start with the white oxfords. I loved them so much I bought a second pair to save for when the first pair bites the dust. They are sitting in their box in my closet. But that wasn't enough. I also bought a near dupe in a different colour. (Not quite as great, but still frequently worn.) 

There is the J. Crew cotton sweater -- same sweater in white and in navy. Both frequently worn in their season, the blue worn perhaps slightly more, but definitely not to the exclusion of the white. 

The J. Crew garçonne shirt, which I now have in 3 colourways, 2 of them striped! Also all worn, though I tend to wear them in different seasons despite the fabric being the same. 

Wit and Wisdom pants....one in charcoal plaid and one in navy. Both in constant rotation. I wear each pair at least once per week, and usually wear one pair twice a week. 

Ecco booties in cream and black patent. Again, both are in constant rotation. I do not seem to be favouring one over the other in this season, although I suspect in the long run I will wear the cream more because I'll like cream in spring/ fall/ winter and the black is mostly a winter thing for me. 

Pom Pom London bags in red and silver -- identical bag. I also got a bunch of guitar straps -- same strap, different colourway, interchangeable on these bags and my Furla satchel and my Coach bag. I haven't really had time to use the bags much yet because they were my Christmas gift to myself, but given my previous experience with two older, soon to be retired backpacks (see below) I expect both will go into heavy rotation. 

The white Ecco sneaker is a repeat style -- I update it every two years. I also duplicated in silver at a sale price and put it away for next spring. 

The Blondo booties are two remaining from an original 4 pair! (The black and taupe were worn out.) These ones do not get as much wear because they are more distinctive so they are in great shape. They date from 2018/19. I don't wear them a ton any more but I do still wear them. 

My question: What the heck is going on!?!?!?!?! 

Have I become a secret (or not so secret) uniform dresser? Have I figured out a good formula? Have I lost all originality or even my senses?  This represents a large proportion of my year's shopping (plus a few older items.) 

In all seriousness, I'm not too worried about it because I'm wearing and loving all these items, which has not always been the case for me with past duplications -- I absolutely hear Irina and others of you who have mentioned that you tend not to duplicate in another colour because one will inevitably get worn more often, etc. That was always my past experience, too! 

I've already mentioned my top 5 acquisitions and my 5 fails. Here's a more general summary of where I've been in terms of style this year. I'll add another post with plans/ ideas for 2024. 

I bought a lot this year!  Twice my usual amount. (Collection in Finds.) Between last year and this year, I also retired many more items. So in the end, my closet remains more or less the same size. But much of what's in it is new.   

I didn't plan on this. It just kind of . . . happened. Surprise surprise, a lot of what I bought is blue. Which works with my word of the year for 2023 (flow) and my colour (indigo). Yay for that!

The previous three years, I'd found it quite difficult to source things that worked for me. But this year, I enjoyed a couple of extremely successful in-person shopping expeditions.

A major refresh made sense for me at this point, too. It's been a full decade since I built my wardrobe from scratch, and many of my essentials dated from that period. (I've been on YLF for more than 12 years!) Even after multiple edits, I still own a lot of items from my early years on YLF! But  I was seriously due for some switch ups in silhouette particularly in bottoms (especially in light of Angie's fashion diagnosis -- "trendy on the bottom"). And I'm glad to say that apart from the five items I mentioned earlier, and a few dressier things that I haven't had occasion to wear yet, i have been wearing and loving my new clothes.

Fortunately, I came into extra freelance work to help fund my purchases.  35 items were on sale, and 2 were via consignment, which helped keep costs more manageable. Note that in most cases they *happened* to be on sale when I was in the store, which definitely made it easier to take a risk. But I wasn't seeking out a sale. So apart from an online mistake, there were few sales goggles purchases. 

My current moniker is "laid back luminous garçonne," which is not so far from my old one (urban prince). I'm still and forever the somewhat polished, slightly prep, slightly punk-inflected gamine. However much I admire minimalism and avant garde looks (and I do!); however much I would love to dress like Irina or Greyscale, I always seem to gravitate back to my plaids and stripes and colours and blues and pattern mixes. Admittedly, this is not a sophisticated look for a person in her mid-60s. But it's vibrant, dynamic, and a little bit dramatic. Which seems to be what I crave at the end of the day. But who knows how things will develop in the year or two to come? I definitely feel myself influenced by the 20s (the ones 100 years ago) and by the 60s and 80s. Will that continue? Hard to say. 

I do notice some shifts in the past year: 

1. I'm wearing more dress pants during the week for work at home and in general. My Wit and Wisdom pants are on repeat and also a pair from J. Crew and one from Club Monaco.  

2. I'm wearing jeans less often.  This is a big shift for me. I still adore denim and do wear it -- but more when I'm going out!

3. I'm wearing wide legs (full length and cropped) almost exclusively. Still have a few BF jeans. Also, I wear my red velvet wide leg crops a lot and my burgundy cargo pants.

4. I'm favouring short jackets and a long coat. 

5. I'm wearing scarves again, or rather, leaning into the fact that I never really stopped. I like having some pattern near my face. 

6. Footwear comfort is becoming more important than ever. I can still wear a small heel (up to 2.5 inches) and I also like a flatform or a sneaker with cushioning/ insoles but a true flat (like a Converse sneaker) is torture for me. The toe shape, adjustability with insoles, and stability is crucial. 

Some favourite outfits from the past year. I'm low on summer outfits because I was laid up for a month following my accident. 

If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and I hope my reflections may spur some of your own.