Pix-Elated

Fab friends! I finally got my hair cut after SIX months!!!! 

Yes, I waited that long. But the good news is I now have a new hairdresser in Victoria; I think he did a pretty good job and feel happy with it. Of course, I'd feel happy with anything at this point! My hair was such a mess. But I got a compliment on the cut from a stranger in the first half hour -- usually a good sign. :) 

Nothing fancy on the clothes front, and nothing new except my (duplicate) white sneakers. 

Not original, but this is right up my alley and I happened to match the blog post. 

Full length mirror in darkness so photos a mishmash of what I could grab. Haven't worn a jacket to work from home in ages but this one is comfy and I haven't worn it much in recent years. 

Will have to change later to garden! It's going to be a warm one here. 

OK, so now I have a full length mirror at last but the light is terrible! I need to figure this out. Meanwhile, I've overexposed a bit so you can see. 

My main goal, anyway, is to show off my new purchases, with thanks to several forum members. I got both of these on sale. The Blondo Cayla boot in burgundy patent is a fab addition to my closet, and now that I can walk for half an hour in my neighbourhood (with great care and deliberation....) I get to sport these babies! My smaller size fit perfectly, even with a partial insert for plantar fasciitis. They are going to work really well for me. Thanks, SarahDB! 

Then, the RM Julian in gunmetal nylon. Janet owns this one and I had been coveting it for ages. My leather Julian needs to be dyed (it is irreparably stained but still in great condition otherwise.) It's also a bit heavy for my new sporty lifestyle. The nylon bag is wonderful. I think Christina also has this one, and Sterling was instrumental in getting me to try the nylon version as well. I now have 3 Julians, one leather and 2 nylon. The gunmetal nylon is more substantial than the cobalt one and I prefer it. But the cobalt is fantastic in the summer for a pop of colour. Next on my list, red, and then to dye the pale grey one. 

Well, since I tore my meniscus, and spend hours of every day in physio, biking, and now "practice" walking, pretty much all I wear is gear. Today, ta-da! -- I just happen to be wearing two items featured in Angie's blog post. :) 

I really like the Zella 7/8 pocket legging. It's the one I reach for most. The regular length leggings are mostly too long for me and I have to turn them under, but I also just like the way these ones fit. 

And the Icebreaker hoodie is a really great colour for me. (Not that this photo really shows you -- sorry. I have the mirror now, but the set up is poor for light. Will have to work on that.) 

I got mine on considerable sale this spring from Icebreaker. They have excellent sales several times per year. 

Not shown: knee brace. ;) 

So, you know that velvet shirt I wasn't too sure about last week? 

Um...I have worn it no fewer than FOUR times this week already! 

Who knew I needed a cozy-luxe shirt? Apparently, I really did. 

Meanwhile, these BR pants, beloved beloved beloved but starting to show a bit of wear (mainly because I had to have a zipper replaced on them and the seamstress did not do an impeccable job, in my view) have suddenly become my new best friends -- for my bike rides!! Yes! Stretchy, warm, easy to layer over tights, and if not windproof, then darn close! 

Not only can you wear gear as fashion, you can now wear fashion as gear! 

ALSO: Full length mirror!!! YAY!!! 

On another, less happy note -- I have reinjured my meniscus simply by doing my physio. So recovery is set back. SO frustrated with this!! I was doing so well, but one of the exercises she suggested aggravated things and it is almost back to square one. She does say this is common with meniscus injuries and just keep (carefully) plugging on with what I can do. So....

As I mentioned on the blog, my very first purchase of clothing with my own money included a pair of Stewart plaid wide leg pants, cuffed at the bottoms. Oh, how I loved them. I even duplicated in a bright red plaid (and wore both pair of pants constantly). 

At the moment, my plaids are more sedate, but I would happily spring for a brighter pair if I find the right ones. 

These culottes are now almost in the OBG category...as evidenced by Roxanna's recent threads, J. Crew sometimes comes through with interesting, slightly fashion forward items (for the time) in very high quality wool. 

These pants date from 2016. Angie mentioned these in a post at the time they were released but I think I was the only forum member to buy them?  People objected to the pleats and wide leg at the time....I mean for themselves....and also the high waist. 

Admittedly, they are a lot of pant -- but in this calm glen plaid I don't find them too much at all. 

Anyway...I still love them. Beautiful drape, lovely fabric, comfy. I wasn't able to wear them as much as I might have wished back in Ontario, where I bought them -- the wide legs meant the cold wind whipped up my legs, and long undies felt bulky underneath and too hot. In my current climate, they are plenty warm for much of the winter with knee highs. 

I also bought the blue sweater at the same time. Another real winner that got very mixed reviews at the time...(I don't mean on me, I mean from J. Crew customers, who didn't like how short it is.)

Various shots of new, shorter hair...and double plaid, with the boots! 

This LL Bean Mariner is probably my third. Bu5 vn so it is an oldie. I wear it all the time in so many ways there was no possibility of styling it in a completely new way. So casualized suit and sneakers it is.

I also duplicated in a different colour and wear both versions heavily.

I somehow missed the (essential) reminder that we are supposed to try to wear our older items in a fresh way if we can...so my week so far has been a mix. Yesterday's outfit was straight from 2014 (except for the white sneakers when I went out!). 

Today I'm 2013 on top and 2018 on the bottom. :) 

This stretch silk leopard shirt from Ann Taylor is from (I think?) 2013 and is one of my favourite shirts ever -- it is a "goodie" because of the soft fabric, perfect fit, the fun pattern -- and it's in ALL my key neutrals, so it mixes so easily with everything else in the closet. It's warm, though, so I only wear in fall/ winter -- which no doubt has helped it to last so long. 

The Lord and Taylor  merino turtleneck is maybe a cheat since this is my second iteration of this same item since I joined YLF (I wore the first one so much it developed holes). Obviously, a workhorse item for me. It's particularly useful for travel. Can be a base layer, a top layer, a mid-layer. I don't overheat in it, but it keeps me warm. Inset shoulders keep it neat and tailored. 

Wearing with high waisted jeans and western belt from 2 years ago, not oldies but still goodies. 

Today's items include some of my earliest purchases after joining YLF. 

J. Crew Thomas Mason tuxedo shirt in periwinkle blue. This was pricey for me when I bought it, but I fell in love with the fabric and bought two others in this line, that I also still own. The higher neckline works with short hair and the pleats are my yang version of ruffles. 

With it, wearing my CoH white jeans. Lower rise than is current, but I love the fit and feel of these and they come in so handy. 

Also, an old leopard print belt from Canadian Tire. Remember those, Carla?? 

When I go out, I'll add my white sneakers and the Reiss blazer, a real workhorse bought at the YLF 8th birthday gathering in 2014. And the H&M scarf from last week. 

Inside --- new house shoes. But more on those in a future post. :) 

I bought this beautiful Elie Tahari stretch wool suit in April 2014, at YLF's 8th birthday bash! 

It's beautifully made. Lovely, lightweight wool with a bit of stretch, gorgeous stretchy satiny lining, beautiful and unusual details like the zipper tooth edge along the front and the tiny leather insets in the collar. The sleeves are perfect for scrunching.  I am sitting at my computer in the jacket now and it is not in the least constricting. 

But I confess, having bought it, I almost never wore it as a suit. I wore it as separates, and rarely wore the pants at all. And then it got too snug, with weight gain, so I didn't wear it, period, and was just about to pass it along, when COVID hit, and I lost weight, and now it fits again, and guess what? There is nothing more comfortable for daily wear in a pandemic than stretch wool. And the whole "casualize" a suit thing suits me To. A. Tee.  and makes suit-wearing feel natural even in these oh-so-casual times. 

Today I am wearing it with my new sweater in pinks and my pink flats (inside) or pink runners (outside, if I go there in all the rain). I had to make a rather inelegant cuff because the pants are hemmed for a 2 inch heel, but hey, it's okay for here in the house. DYOT for the win.