she's addicted to clothes

Still coming to terms with the hair, and I think the styling...

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:41:10 +0100

Still coming to terms with the hair, and I think the styling helped a bit with that. Thank y’all so much for saying nice and supportive things about it; I do appreciate it. I have a LOT of my self-image (overly) invested in my hair, so I can take something as trivial as a haircut I don’t like way too hard. And then I get over it, because, after all, it does grow out eventually.

Anyway, the outfit. This is what I wore (with a different coat) the day the lady from the Liverpool Echo photographed and interviewed me for the paper’s style section. Given that I had only a snapshot of a grainy newsprint photo to post of that day’s outfit, I figured I’d take a clearer photo of it for my blog. Also, I like this outfit a lot, and always feel good in it (I’ve repeated it several times, exactly as is, and that’s something I very rarely do) and I figured it would console me in my post-haircut grumpiness. It did!

And the weather was crap (surprise!) so I put on my mac, and realised I’d never featured this frequently-worn item on the blog, so there you go; a 2 photo Thursday!

Details:

Shirt: H&M, remixed. I would like to replace this with a much nicer sleeveless button/collar shirt one day, because I’ve overcome my button-up blouse issues enough to make it work investing a bit of money in for better quality, since it’s a definite potential staple basic.

Jumper: Oasis, remixed. It fits better in the neck than this! I forgot to zip up the back before taking the photo.

Ponte skinnies: Gap, remixed. These? Are PERFECT. They’re basically very heavyweight leggings with all the classic 5-pocket jeans styling including a proper zipper, real pockets, and button closure, and therefore enough like “real” pants that I don’t have the knee-jerk LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS COVER THAT SHIT UP response to them, but super-comfy like actual leggings. Very glad to have found these, and they’ve earned their berth in my shamefully overcrowded jeans drawer.

Chelsea boots: Deichmann, remixed. Oh, wait, I wore long boots the day of the style page thing, so this is merely almost the outfit I wore in the Echo. It’s the same outfit in spirit, though, I swear.

Macintosh: All Saints. Total frequent flyer, this one, and making its debut on the blog today.

I haven’t been posting, because I’ve been trying to...

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:59:40 +0100

I haven’t been posting, because I’ve been trying to come to terms with a tragic haircut. Apparently my request for a trim, accompanied by a photograph of a woman with long blonde hair, with long layers, similar to mine, and an expressed wish to carry on working the damage from my previous tragic haircut (the great bangs/fringe experiment of ‘11) translated to “chop off a shitload of hair, and return the bangs/fringe to an incredibly awkward length,” in her mind.

I’d wanted to get away from using the hot rollers so much, and eventually, oh happy day, get back to the plain ol’ long/straight style I’ve had for most of my life, but alas, it’s going to be a while, and I’ll probably be straight back into the heat styling abuse until time remedies the current unhappy situation.

Also, WHEN is any hairstylist going to finally take me seriously when I tell him or her that no, your hair serum is NOT going to be the one that miraculously fails to make my hair limp?

OK, I’ve vented now. Here’s the details:

Tee: Gap. This is the smaller of the two otherwise-identical shirts, and I really am glad I went out and bought multiples on this one.

Necklaces: Various, remixed.

Belt: Next, thrifted, remixed.

Skirt: Gap, remixed. Oh, so remixed. I’m pretty sure this is my most frequently worn skirt ever. Still going strong!

Tights: John Lewis. I’m giving these a whirl, because my beloved 100-denier velvet touch opaques from M&S are currently out of stock in my size, at both my local-ish M&S locations. They’re OK, but I don’t like them nearly as much. I think the M&S ones are my One True Opaque Black Tights.

Shoes: Remixed. I can’t help it! I love these! So pain-free!

Oh hai, citizens of the future. I stepped into a time machine on...

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:54:15 +0100

Oh hai, citizens of the future. I stepped into a time machine on my way to a Nirvana concert, and ended up here like 20-ish years later.

Seriously, I did attend the very concert in the above link, and I wore something almost totally identical to this outfit right here, including the nerdy glasses and the straight hair. (The major difference is the lack of a Black Flag tee and Doc Martens oxfords, which I really need to replace. Also, I am not high this time.) They say you shouldn’t follow a trend the second time around, but to hell with Them: I never entirely stopped following this one. I always feel like myself when I dress like this.

Details:

Cardigan: Cynthia Rowley, remixed.

Necklace: Boots, remixed. Very luxe, eh?

Tee: H&M, probably remixed.

Belt: Dsquared, remixed.

Boyfriend shorts: H&M, remixed.

Cuffs, etc., remixed.

Tights: M&S, remixed.

Scuffed moccasins: Klacson, remixed. These need replacing, for sure.

So here I am, in the tulle skirt I have been trying to find for...

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:05:37 +0100

So here I am, in the tulle skirt I have been trying to find for approximately, oh, FOREVER. I wasn’t actually picky about colour, as long as it wasn’t anything I’d consider unacceptably garish, but I was picky about lots of other things, like it had to be lined, and the lining had to stop somewhere pretty close to the hem. It had to be soft, drapey tulle, and it had to be free of any ornamentation. No ruffles, no lace, and especially no rhinestones or tiny faux pearls. That when I finally found it, it turned out to be grey is just a nice bonus for being so patient.

Given my compulsion to toughen up things that read as ultra-femme to me, all the leather and hardware was probably inevitable. I like very feminine clothes, but fear I might look a bit ridiculous in them, given my height and general angularity. I concede this is an idiotic proscriptive belief and I would love to jettison it on general principles, but once I get an idea into my head about what suits me and what doesn’t, it’s almost impossible to dislodge it. Given how cheerfully I give the finger to most of the likewise proscriptive dictates of so-called “age appropriate” dressing, it does puzzle me that I feel this way.

Also, I just totally love bad-ass rocker chick stuff, what can I say?

Details:

Necklace: Pilgrim. I LOVE this company’s stuff so much. I first stumbled upon them at our local outlet mall, and I’ve been slowly amassing a collection of it. Lots of sterling, and lots of high-quality costume jewellery, and as I’m coming more and more to favour small earrings (long ones get lost and/or tangled up in my hair, now that it’s long again) unless I’m wearing some of my “good” studs or smaller earrings, usually I’ve got a pair of their earrings in my ears. I feel weirdly naked without earrings at all, which is another one of those puzzling-to-me quirks of mine. (As usual, I mention things I like, not things for which I’m being compensated in any way for reviewing. Linking out of love!)

Leather moto: Aviatrix, remixed, and oh how happy I am that this was sufficient protection from the weather today! Even over…

Cashmere halter-style jumper: Vince, thrifted, remixed. The existence of a cashmere halter top makes me wonder when, exactly, you’d wear it without a jacket? Warm enough for a halter is possibly too warm for cashmere, and cold enough for cashmere is possibly too cold for bare arms, shoulders and back, at least if you’re me, and a total wimp about what your personal temperature comfort zone is.

Belt: All Saints. RAAAAR, I am just that tough! Or so the belt allows me to pretend.

Tulle skirt: Miss Selfridge clearance rack. All that effort, and I found it in a totally unlikely place for like seven quid. In GREY, no less! I spent months trying to thrift a tulle skirt, so even though I ended up finding it at a fast fashion shop, I at least feel as if I gave it my best shot.

Various, barely-seen leather/chain cuffs: Pilgrim and Fossil.

Tights: M&S.

Chelsea boots: Deichmann, remixed.

It’s been a long day, so just a quick post, mostly to keep...

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:59:29 +0100

It’s been a long day, so just a quick post, mostly to keep momentum after last week’s hiatus.

This braided updo is proving useful in fighting the seemingly ever-present wind around here. I can’t be having with the whole topknot trend, but this is at least a change from my usual French twist.

Details:

Scarf: Urban Outfitters, remixed.

Jacket: Zara, remixed. I probably should’ve gone with something heavier today, but I’ve just about hit the wall with wool overcoats. It’s the middle of May, for pity’s sake.

Long-sleeve stripey tee: Monari. I’ve had a cull, and I’m replacing my worn- or stretched-out stripey shirts as I find them.

Denim skirt: Oasis, thrifted, remixed.

Tights: The usual M&S velvet 100-deniers, remixed.

Bag: All Saints.

Shoes: Remixed. I am wearing these things so much lately, but they’re so comfortable and they go with practically everything!

I just wasn’t very excited about my clothes last week, so...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:13:22 +0100

I just wasn’t very excited about my clothes last week, so I took a bit of an unplanned hiatus there. I was — briefly — excited about the weather, as we had two cracking days of sunshine and actual warmth, one of which I was even able to enjoy without a coat, but alas, back to boots and scarves today. It wasn’t hideous, but wow, I’d like at least a bit of springtime before summer arrives.

Still, I am here, I am definitely visible, and thus, I am joining in on this week’s Visible Monday, with many thanks, as always, to Patti for hosting, and being a constant source of inspiration — along with the other participants, of course! — to make the effort to start the week off stylishly. (I do have to admit to feeling somewhat jealous at all the lucky souls being stylish in springy clothing, though!)

Details:

Sunglasses: Pucci. It doesn’t show, but they have a fabulous blue print on the stems.

Scarf: All Saints. At least it’s not wool! This is just a plain white cotton scarf, of course, but All Saints comes through with slightly off-beat shaping to keep it from being too boring. Also, I would like to note that among my vast collection of scarves, the All Saints ones seem to stay in place the best; seldom do I get wild flapping about, and we get a LOT of wind where I live, so they’re put to the test. I really think it’s something about the construction, and sometimes the fabric just seems to stick nicely to itself. And I got absolutely nothing for saying that; I just like to note when any given company pleases me.

Slash neck jumper: Monsoon, remixed. This is getting as much wear as I thought it would when I was on my seemingly endless hunt for it.

Skirt: Premise. This is a company I’d never heard of, until I found this awesome skirt at TK Maxx. It’s incredibly well-made, and a quick Google search suggests it’s a real company, sort of in the mid-range ready-to-wear category, and not one of those vague names you suspect was just made up for the run of clothing that landed in the discounter. That’s appliqued, not a print, and it’s lined heavy cotton duck. It’s also too damn big in the waist, but can be worn on my hips, and thus as a knee-length skirt instead of a longish mini. In other words, I’m keeping it, because I love it, since I’m able to make it work. I do love my black and white graphics!

Leather cuff: Pilgrim.

Tights: M&S, remixed.

Leather shopper: M&S Autograph, picked up in the recent clearance. A winning round of Retail Chicken on this one; with all the black and grey I wear, it’s going to come in handy.

Boots: Debenhams, remixed.

And then sometimes I like to pretend I’m a bad-ass rocker...

Fri, 03 May 2013 21:53:16 +0100

And then sometimes I like to pretend I’m a bad-ass rocker chick.

Details:

Choker: This is actually one of my regularly worn double-wrap leather cuffs. I wanted to wear a choker, or other short necklace with this blouse (it has a deliberately wonky neckline) but nothing I could see was really working for me. I happened to be putting on my bracelets at that point, and thought, huh, I wonder if this would fit around my neck? It did, and perfectly comfortably, too. Remixed.

Leather jacket: Aviatrix, remixed. This was nice and soft to begin with, but it’s breaking in beautifully, and getting softer all the time.

Silk blouse: All Saints. I need to get a better photo of this, when it isn’t covered with a jacket, because the wonky detailing is pretty sweet.

Skinnies: Abercrombie & Fitch, thrifted, remixed. These are my miracle jeans, the only pair of skinnies that have ever fit my ass and thighs absolutely perfectly. I paid like four quid for them at Oxfam.

Shoes: Mystery shoes, remixed. I keep wearing these because they’re giving my poor pinky toes a rest and a chance to heal up a bit. Glad they’re in such a neutral colour!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Another madly busy Thursday, so forgive me if I post an outfit...

Thu, 02 May 2013 21:31:26 +0100

Another madly busy Thursday, so forgive me if I post an outfit and dash.

Details:

Jumper: Thrifted, no tags.

Necklaces: Found objects on chains by Religion, remixed.

Belt: Vanzetti, remixed.

Shorts: S.C.O.U.T., remixed.

Chain bracelet and leather cuffs: Fossil and Pilgrim. This sort of butch bangle is my current favourite accessory, and shows no sign of losing that title soon.

Tights: M&S, remixed.

Shoes: Remixed. A better view of the same shoes I wore earlier this week. Still super comfortable!

Sandals! A mere denim jacket as outerwear! Sunshine! Yes, we got...

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:31:16 +0100

Sandals! A mere denim jacket as outerwear! Sunshine! Yes, we got an honest-to-god spring day today, and I was nearly beside myself with glee. And I was also very glad I’d painted my toenails fairly recently, in the faint hope I’d be exposing my feet soon. Still a bit too chilly for me to wear a shorter skirt with bare legs, but I now have hope we’ll get there eventually.

Not a bad way to start May.

Details:

Denim Jacket: Gap, thrifted, remixed. Old Faithful is back! This is my third year on this particular denim jacket, and while I have a couple others, this is most definitely my favourite.

Necklace: East Outlet. Yes, I have jumped on the style blogger bib necklace bandwagon, like years after everybody else. I like the subtle, muted colours in this one; it doesn’t feel too showy or over-the-top to me.

Earrings: (Given that you can actually see them today, what with the Heidi ‘do) Monet, remixed.

Sweater vest: Toast, thrifted. I’ve just got a similar-coloured tank under this. It’s 50/50 alpaca and merino, and I was worried it might itch a bit. Seems good. I like the waist shaping, although you’re not seeing it much here, of course, due to the jacket.

Maxi skirt: Gap. I’ve had this one waiting forever, it seems. I found it at the end of last season on the clearance rack, and I’ve been eager to wear it, given that it’s a perfect length. I didn’t notice until today that what I thought were little dots in the pattern are actually alternating bands of stars and diamonds. What I really like about this skirt is that it’s double layered, so you get that lovely breeziness with the top layer, but unlike most double layer maxi skirts I’ve seen, the underskirt doesn’t cut off mid-thigh, which I hate. I mean, all power to you if you like that style, and I’m sure you rock it, but there’s something about it that displeases my eye — it just looks jarring and off to me, somehow. I have much the same issue with high-low skirts where the back hem is radically longer than the front.

Sandals: Faith. These are a mere UK size 9, which Faith does in some styles, and I have surprisingly good luck fitting into those occasional 9s. And it’s not just because the sandals afford me more room; my other Faith successes are boots.

I call this look Middle-Aged Lady Works All Morning Then Runs...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:44:17 +0100

I call this look Middle-Aged Lady Works All Morning Then Runs Errands & Goes To The Outlet Village. Because that’s what I did today. Totally phoning it in, and because the weather looked as if it could go either way when I left the house, I played it safe, and made sure I wouldn’t freeze if it all went to hell.

Naturally, it was gorgeous, and I could’ve got away with something more springlike. Ah, well. At least I’m NOT wearing grey or black, right?

Details:

Suede blazer: Lakeland, thrifted, remixed. This is a great weight for this kind of weather, as it is capable of keeping a biting wind at bay, but isn’t too hot in somewhat warmer weather. There’s a reason I have so many leather/suede jackets. (I mean, aside from just loving them.)

Scarf: All Saints, remixed.

Long-sleeved tee: Gap, remixed. This is a waffle-weave Henley.

Belt: Errr, some German company whose name I can’t recall, but they make good belts. Remixed.

Jeans: 7 For All Mankind, remixed. Still very pleased with these.

Shoes: I have no idea, but they’re kind of brogue-like, with a buckle on the side, and kind of cowboy boot-style heels. I bought these so long ago I can’t recall where I got them, and then they languished, because I thought they’d hurt my feet. I was wrong; they’re super comfortable, and I’m only not pissed off at myself for letting them sit so long because now they’re basically still brand new, and not already wearing out! (Will get a better photo of them next time.)

So pollen punched me in the face mid-week, and the resulting...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:11:36 +0100

So pollen punched me in the face mid-week, and the resulting puffy, red eyes and swollen face was just too much for me to bear contemplating getting in front of a camera. Not to mention I just felt like hell. I’m feeling better, and less puffy today, so I am showing myself (and my righteous pattern-mixing) to the world, and thus, linking up with Visible Monday. (Check it out!)

I’m still having trouble getting away from the neutrals, but I’m having fun with layering and playing with different silhouettes. Stipes and polka dots may be the easiest patterns to mix, particularly as neutrals, but it’s still good fun, and you can still get a fairly striking mix going on. Either that, or I’m taking matchy-matchy to extremes, but I like matchy-matchy, so there you go: I’m happy with it.

Have a great week, all!

Details:

Scarf: Linea, remixed. I was going to go all out, and mix a bigger floral scarf in, but the weather was fairly warm today, if windy, so I went with something lighter and smaller.

Jacket: Clements Ribeiro. I’ve picked up a couple of boxier jackets recently, to work on my Lagenlook project, and this is a first go with this one. I wore it under my People Tree coat, because it wasn’t that warm, but I can see this getting a lot of wear this summer.

Polka dot tee: Next.

Striped tee: Gap. Not remixed; my other one (seen in the People Tree link above) was a Large, and large on me it is. I love it as a big, slouchy pullover, and it’s great an upper layer, but not so much under things. Since they were on extreme clearance, I went back and picked up a Small for under-layering purposes. I STILL have plenty of room in this thing, so yeah, Gap’s wonky sizing strikes again.

Bag: Cath Kidston, remixed. Worn with the obnoxious label facing my body, not facing the street. God, I hate that, but I loved the bag so much when I bought it that I overlooked my usual violent objection to visible logos.

Skirt: H&M, remixed. I started out in my slouchy black trousers, but then remembered I had these tights, and I obeyed my matchy-matchy instincts.

Tights: Marks & Spencer. These are (mostly) cotton tights, and very awesome indeed.

Chelsea boots: Deichmann, remixed.

Mixing some taupe and brown into today’s sludge mix! Also,...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:30:37 +0100

Mixing some taupe and brown into today’s sludge mix! Also, going full-bore on the whole Lagenlook thing. And I think I’m just getting started with that. Drape and layers, what’s not to love, if you’re me? (Or have the same drape and layer fixation.) Don’t get me wrong — I still love nicely fitted clothing, but I really am loving both the look and the fluid feel of stuff like this.

Very happy with this one.

Details:

Cardi/duster: Planet, thrifted, remixed. Another awesome thing about Lagenlook? Great way to make thrifted gems that are technically too big work. Like this one. It’s a bit too big in the shoulders, and quite a bit too big in the hips (surprise, surprise) but over a few layers, and intended to be loose and airy, it works well.

Scarf: All Saints.

Blouse: Gudrun Sjoden, thrifted. Speaking of too big; this is an XL, and according to the Gudrun Sjoden size guide, I should be wearing a small in generously-cut stuff, and a medium otherwise. However, given how I layered this, and given that I lived through the 80s, I have a really high tolerance for enormously oversized oversized shirts. I saw Stop Making Sense many, many times. In the cinema. I am having a very hard time resisting the urge to go nuts at the website.

Skirt: Marks & Spencer, thrifted, remixed. This is the double-layered skirt with the slits that let the darker, heavy voile-like underskirt show through. Another reason to love the layers: does nicely in hiding elastic waistbands, which I normally abhor.

Tights: M&S, remixed.

Boots: Hush Puppies, remixed.

Very high thrift percentage on this outfit, which makes me very happy.

There are times when I think I should probably just say to hell...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:19:00 +0100

There are times when I think I should probably just say to hell with it, and get rid of all my clothes that aren’t black, white, or grey, because it seems as if that’s all I’ve been wearing for a while now, and I’m yet to get bored with it. Every night, I think I should wear some colour the next day, and then the next day rolls around, and I try, really I do, and then I kind of go into this anxiety spiral about OMG WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR, and then I give up and pull out something black, white, or grey, and suddenly it all seems easier. And that’s when I crossly tell myself that I should just give up on the colour already — even though I do, in fact, love colour — and fully embrace my monochromatic being.

Then I spot one of my Desigual dresses, and think, oh hell no. Not giving those up. I’m just going to accept that I’m apparently in a very, very long monochrome phase, and wait it out. To be fair, it could be that I just need some reasonably consistent spring weather to get me back into the colour groove. In the meantime, I’ll just be here in my comfort zone, waiting it out.

Details:

Jacket: People Tree. Thrifted, new with tags, and ethically made, which is like the feel-good trifecta. This is my slightly-warmer-weather replacement for my heavy grey wool/cashmere blend Jaeger coat. I realised over the course of this seemingly endless winter just how bloody useful that coat is, and I was pretty pleased to find this, and figure out how to use it in much the same way. I don’t think the crappy photo is showing it very well, but it’s a collarless empire waist coat with three big buttons up top, and then open down to the hem. I’d describe the material as super heavyweight sweatshirt-style fabric. Super comfortable, and a very good weight for the sort of low/mid-50s F weather we’ve been having.

Scarf: All Saints. TK Maxx got another shipment of All Saints in, and I’ve acquired a few lighter-weight scarves (black, grey, white, cream, or a mixture of all of the above) at a hugely discounted price from AS’s usual obscenely expensive one. (Seriously, they can, with a straight face, charge in the neighbourhood of £100 for a viscose scarf. Hahahaha, right.)

Long-sleeve tee: Gap. Could there POSSIBLY be a more me garment? Faded black and grey STRIPES. It’s also at least a size, and probably two, too big, which is also me, with the oversized-and-drapey thing I’ve been working of late.

Pants: Uh, Gap calls these jean leggings, or something like that, but really, they’re just heavy ponte and cut like skinnies. Remixed.

Chelsea boots: Deichmann. These are totally different from my Faith Chelsea boots, I swear! These have no pleats along the uppers, and a buckle on the side.

So this is what happens when my spouse is about and has his...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:30:29 +0100

So this is what happens when my spouse is about and has his fancy-pants DSLR camera close to hand. The sunshine didn’t hurt matters, either.

This is the grown-up version of a look I’ve been wearing my whole life, never get tired of, and in which I feel completely comfortable and totally like myself. I anticipate wearing some version of this for a long time to come. Much like Friday’s look, actually.

Hooking up again to Patti’s Visible Monday, because I felt so comfortable and confident in this outfit. Check us all out!

Details:

Leather jacket: Aviatrix, remixed. This was SO worth the long, long search.

Jumper: Fenn Wright Mason. This is a fairly loose linen knit, and alas, you can see the cami I wore under it in this shot, but rest assured, I fixed that before I went out.

Arm candy: Various, remixed, some thrifted, some Fat Face.

Belt: Gap, remixed.

Bag: Rowallan.

Boyfriend-style denim shorts: H&M, remixed.

Reblog if you've ever yelled at a book.

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:46:12 +0100

meganmaedaily:

arisaavena:

scarred-and-unwanted:

cannibalcoalition:

afoxnamedtod:

Are there people who don’t reblog this?

I can only assume that the ones who haven’t aren’t reading the right books.

or never actualy read a book

Yelled, cried, laughed, pretended to eat.

More times than I can remember!

Casual Friday. I dress something like this on weekends (or days...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:46:17 +0100

Casual Friday. I dress something like this on weekends (or days when I don’t have anything to do that requires smarter clothes) more often than I’d almost like to admit. Shorts, including, and indeed, almost especially, denim ones over black tights is a look that’s been going strong in my area for several years now, and shows no sign of ending. Me, I dressed like this back in college, and haven’t really seen any reason to quit doing so in my more advanced years, because, well, I suppose I’d wear a skirt this short with black tights, right?

Anyway, it gets me into shorts before the weather is ready to, so I’ll probably keep it up at least a few years longer.

Have a great weekend!

Details:

Necklace: Fat Face.

Jumper: Zara, remixed. This has been the jumper of the winter for me. With any luck, it’ll be too warm for the weather soon. HAHAHAHA.

Tank: M&S, remixed. Glad I got this; olive green is not a passing fancy. Maybe I’ll branch out into a new murky neutral, in lieu of grey. Also HAHAHAHA. Seriously, I looked at my archives the other day, and I have worn so much grey/black/white this winter that even I’m shocked.

Belt: Roma, remixed. Made in England, hooray!

Shorts: Label says “S.C.O.U.T.” I have no idea what that means, and Google isn’t terribly helpful. I bought them at TK Maxx last year, and I sort of wish I could find a long version of these, since they’ve got front pockets like classic jeans, and not side slit pockets like most chinos. I don’t know if I’ve worn these on the blog before, but they’re certainly very remixed.

Tights: M&S, remixed.

Shoes: Deichmann, remixed. My feet are appreciating these a lot, while I treat the bloody corns on my little toes.

And the gales continue, so I just went ahead and clipped my hair...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:15:45 +0100

And the gales continue, so I just went ahead and clipped my hair back before going out. It was a wise move, sparing me more of the end-of-the-day tangled rat’s nest than usual. When the wind wasn’t particularly fierce, it was pretty sunny and warm, so for the first time of the season, I ventured out there with bare legs. OK, so I combined this with the first maxi-dress of the season, thus mostly concealing my bare legs, but it still felt pretty good to have tights be optional.

This dress. I dunno. I love the print, and even though I’ve got a cardi over it, it has a fitted waist and definitely has the shape of a dress, but something about it looks a little nightgownish to me, which is why I went with the cardi and belt. I like it, and I’m keeping it, but I may have it altered to knee-length, because it still kind of felt like a nightgown, even after styling.

Anyway, to the details!

Cardigan: East. This is a very lightweight cotton/silk blend jersey, with a bit of a sheer black silk edging on it, which I fear is not showing very well in the photo.

Buttonflowers: Created and gifted by Megan Mae, remixed. They matched very well with the pink carnations on the dress!

Belt: Betsey Johnson, remixed. See me all boldy mixing pink leopard print with my flowered dress, mainly because it’s the only narrow pink belt I own.

Dress: Fat Face. Seriously, this may be for the chop, but I’ll try to remix it at least once more as a maxi before doing that.

Flats: So old and remixed the brand name has long worn off the insole. One day in the not-too-distant future, I am going to blow a hole in the bottom of these, and be heartbroken, since I doubt they’re worth resoling. And just when pointy toed shoes are coming back in, too, alas.

Going full-on drapey and, but for the jacket, pretty vaguely...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:44:43 +0100

Going full-on drapey and, but for the jacket, pretty vaguely structured today! It was like wearing pajamas. Still photos don’t do much to show off how surprisingly unblocky this actually was. I feel like I’m really starting to nail this sort of silhouette, and the thing that made it all click for me was actually thinking about my body in a rather dispassionate way.

Basically, I am incredibly bony. I’m not especially thin; my weight fluctuates a few pounds over the course of the month, and usually lands just slightly below the exact mid-point of “normal” for my height — and I HAAAATE that normal designation, but the point is, I have big, prominent bones, and somebody else of my approximate weight and height might not be nearly as bony as I am, if they had slighter bone structure. My breast bone is like a doorknob, and my shoulders, knees, hipbones and ribs all stick waaaay out.

Anyway, I started figuring this out when I started regarding my body, for the purposes of wearing unstructured clothing, as being made of scaffolding poles. What I want to do is make sure the clothes hang off my shoulders and hips in an aesthetically pleasing way. Gathers at the waist area need to land just under my ribs. And if I’m wearing a pair of higher waisted pants, I need to make sure the waistline is covered. Low rises, straight off the hipbone or just below. There’s just this hideously unflattering zone starting above my hipbone and going up to my navel where pants go seriously awry on me. Either I need to avoid it, or I need to cover it up, and here I’ve chosen to cover it up. Thus, I was not self-conscious in this outfit at all. Whenever I’ve worn these pants (see here and here) I’ve covered up the waistband, and that’s what’s made this look wearable to me. (Others may disagree; the point is I felt comfortable and unselfconscious.)

So there’s me overthinking style again.

Details:

Scarf: Bench

Oversized tee: Gap

Pants: Next, remixed. I picked up a pair of these in white, too. Doubtless I will reverse the black and white soon.

Moto jacket: Aviatrix, remixed.

Chelsea boots: Faith, remixed.

Cuffs: Various, some thrifted.

Pretty warm today, but very windy! So my hair got trashed, but I...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:57:40 +0100

Pretty warm today, but very windy! So my hair got trashed, but I was too chuffed by the sunshine to be bothered much. I was very pleased to be wearing this jacket again, and also the blouse, which was a rare full-retail buy, purchased during the week of snow, in hopes of spring. Definitely a case of retail therapy. I hope to get a lot of wear out of it, as I continue to be besotted with drapey, largely unstructured clothes. Also, it’s white, instead of grey, so perhaps I’m branching out a bit as I explore the slouchy silhouette further. It still seems to be slightly edgy in my area, but it definitely is catching on a bit.

Details:

Scarf: Urban Outfitters, remixed.

Jacket: Zara, remixed.

Tank: Zara. I kind of wish this had sleeves, since it’s so pretty, and covering it up with a jacket is kind of a shame, but it has to hit the mid-80s before it’s even vaguely possible for me to consider bare arms, or even half-covered arms. It’s also kind of shockingly low-cut, something I didn’t realise until I’d been wearing it around the house long enough for it to sort of settle. I wouldn’t call it obscene or inappropriate or anything, but I’m really not one for revealing much skin. Still, it’s beautiful, I love the asymmetry, the drape, and the gather at the waist, and I’d be thrilled to have something similar with sleeves.

Skinny jeans: Abercrombie & Fitch, thrifted, remixed.

Desert (style) boots: Deichmann. I may go buy these in blue as well; they are SO comfortable, and my feet are getting fussier all the time.

So this is what I wore last Monday, and didn’t bother to...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:25:36 +0100

So this is what I wore last Monday, and didn’t bother to photograph myself. I was not, in short, feeling particularly Visible, as in up to participating in Visible Monday. It was kind of silly, since I like this outfit, and both my husband and father-in-law were extremely enthusiastic about it, when I wore it a week or so previously, but eh, just wasn’t feeling like it was anything special.

And then somebody from the Liverpool Echo stopped me on Bold Street, and asked if I’d let her take a photo of me for the paper’s style section. As you can see, I said OK. I was assuming it would be for their online edition, and checked, but nothing turned up, and I assumed she’d been out taking photos of lots of people, and I hadn’t made the cut, or it simply hadn’t been published yet.

And then on Wednesday, several people told me they’d seen me in the paper. I don’t get the print version of the Echo, so a frantic search for somebody who did was on, and eventually I got my hands on two copies. So, yes, definitely visible, after all, and thus, linking up with this week’s Visible Monday!

Apologies for the crappy quality, of course; I had to take a photo of it, and it’s cheap newsprint to begin with. Details in the text, but I’ll repeat them here, and the masking is just basic ass-covering of my profession and location.

Have a great week, and check out the other lovely participants at Patti’s Visible Monday project!

Details:

Sunglasses: Gant. She didn’t ask, so I didn’t say.

Shirt: H&M, remixed. I’ve been wearing this a lot; it’s a fab layering piece.

Jumper: Oasis. Another surprising foray into intarsia knits! This is a big, abstract flower, and apparently my love of black and white graphics is enough to overcome my mixed feelings about intarsia. (Except I still hate actually knitting it myself. My feelings are totally unmixed about that part.)

Jeggings: Gap, remixed.

Coat: Vintage Jaeger, remixed. I wore this so much this winter, and I’m pleased to see that for a small tear in one pocket’s lining (from my keys, no doubt) and some buttons that are going to need re-sewing, it’s still in great shape.

Boots: Debenhams, remixed.

Bag: Marks & Spencer, remixed. I’m right at the point of thinking I just need one of this sort of plain, enormous, leather shopper in every feasible colour, and then I’ll be done with non-fancy handbags forever.