Coming Up Long

Go go gadget A-line! More summer dresses from the land of photos past! This is another of those rare good fits through chest and waist that means I'll be holding onto this forever. The secret is to be a quarter spandex and elastic around the back.

I eschew white everywhere but socks and cool summer things, evidently.

 Dress: RŨBY (thrifted)

Cropped cardigan: bp (thrifted)

Shoes: Rieker anti-stress (thrifted)

The tag says RŨBY, but I think it is Charlotte Russe because the care tag has the number 101331 on it, and that's the RN for that retailer. Also: made in USA! Double cool points!

My summer dresses flare out at my natural waist, while my trousers are mid to low rise, so that means my massive jacket collection is of no use because they are all too long. Argh! Maybe I should start chopping the bottoms off of them like Mel of Bag and a Beret.

This dress wants a cropped sweater or jacket and some shoes in a deep saturated color to set off the flowers and white fabric, I think. I've been looking for deep green, red, and blue things for some time and they're so hard to find!

Have jewel tones been on the outs for several years? Do people who wear jewel tones choose their items carefully and never donate them? Are there a bunch of mid-30s Asian women out there snatching them all up in the thrift stores before I get there? If so, can I hang out with them and swap clothes?

It doesn't help that a lot of shrugs I see sold online are so short they look like a pair of sleeves sewn together in the back so you don't lose one. Anybody have any suggestions on where to look? (Update: I found a navy one while thrifting! September thrifting round-up possibly next post. Suggestions still welcomed.)

Sundress Success Unless... ?

SoCal weather! I had almost forgotten about you in my decade away.

Dress: Heart Moon Star (thrifted)

Gee Whiz Sandals: Eastland

It was warm the day I took these, which is good, because no piece of outerwear I own goes with this dress. None. And I have a "Holy crap you have a lot of jackets" type of closet. I think it's because it needs a cropped or bolero cut jacket, and while I love those, they are difficult to find.

I mentioned thrifting this dress for <$3 back in November, after taking the GREs. Now I'm in the climate to wear it!

I took photos from different angles to give me an idea of how the dress's cut and length suit me. I know halters are probably not the best cut for broad shoulders, and I'm unsure about where the hem hits (maybe it depends on the shoes?) but by gum this dress is insanely comfortable. It skims my body without squeezing or clamping or cutting in anywhere. And the print looks Japanese-y!

Also, I've been trying to figure out what constitutes 'feminine' posture or body language in my mind. I feel my body language in photos is more like "Yarr!" and "HEY." Too much stance training? Tuck the chin down? Maybe I should practice in the mirror.

Eye Want Candy

  This embroidered Eye Candy dress is roll-around-in-the-grass-laughing comfortable. I got it a few weeks ago at the clothing swap I wrote about here. In the glorious sunlight I wore it with a big floppy straw hat and sandals while not shutting up about the weather for the entire month of September.

Dress: Eye Candy (clothing swap)

Kimmel cardigan: Moth (thrifted, lots of colors/sizes eBay)

 Denim & leather purse: Giudit (thrifted)

 Lagoon sandals: Eastland (available here)

Straw hat: Nature & Découvertes (Paris)

Accessories: necklace (H&M in Paris), flower clip (found on street)

  I've never been into purses, but this Giudit leather and denim bag instantly caught my attention in the thrift shop last year. It's feminine and cute without being twee, and practical- I can scan my transit card without taking my wallet out if I align it correctly. A long shoulder strap came tucked inside, so I can make it a crossbody bag, my favored type.

  Because this is a loose sheath dress, I thought a cropped cardigan would complement the waistline and length while flattering broad shoulders. V-necks also look good layered over straight-across necklines. The straight-across neckline doesn't always look the great with broad shoulders, but the straps and the flower hair clip I stuck at the top balance it, I think.

  I tried the v-neck over straight-across neckline a few posts ago with the Ann Taylor superpose deal over that shirt that went with nothing. If you haven't seen it, Inside Out Style has a super handy graphic on layering your necklines. Man what I wouldn't have given for that during my bizarre and random layering experiments a few years ago!

  It is so temperate this month that I just wore this into the late afternoon, continuing my courageous foray into the world of knit garments. Check out the interesting straps at the shoulders/upper back:

Japanese cleavage!

  As I mentioned in my other post, the former owner of this dress and I have pretty different body types. She was half a foot taller than I, for one. I guess her curviness and my Sampson-esque rib structure matched up though, because this dress fits me comfortably on top, which is a rare thing. Whee! I can fling my arms out and take deep breaths and everything!

  ... she also cut some stitches in the back to make walking easier, which I didn't discover until I wore it to school the first time. The height of the walking slit was a little scandalous on me. -_- Serve me right for ranting about leggings-as-pants, I guess! Sorry, innocent passers-by.

  Happy middle-of-the-week, everyone. (:

Whatever the Weather

Whatever the weather we'll weather the storm!

And whether we waver in water or wetter

Wayfarers will gather wherever it's warm!

  Right, I think I've lost my mind.
  When I woke up in East Bay this morning, the weather was beautiful. Sunshine as I hadn't seen in weeks was streaming in the window. I packed up and headed home, into the fog bank, where even Daly Sad is getting a hint of light through the everpresent cloud layer. I am in a sundress type of mood.

  For someone who lives in the climate I do, I have a disturbing number of sundresses. I may have more sundresses than there are actual sunny days per year. I think I keep shopping for my dreams, rather than my everyday. It reminds me of my former roommate, who would sometimes wear shorts on principle, because it was summer, or as we like to call it, "summer."
  In deference to the weather, this one is fully lined, which adds some wind protection, while making it twice as much trouble to iron (which is why I didn't. >.>) I took the opportunity to add some layers and accessorize in a way that felt like me:

  I love these faux leather panel leggings. I got them last winter for warmth and they're actually more like stretch pants- they're a thick exercise pant material and of course fully opaque. Still, principles are principles, and leggings will be worn appropriately under skirts and dresses, never on their own. Someone has to fight the good fight.
  You can see in the side shot the pretty chiffon layer on the dress doesn't extend to the back. It's a plain knit material there. Unfortunately what you get with cheap dresses these days. Does seem odd to me the company would go through the trouble of this labor-intensive detailing and skimp on a panel of chiffon for the back.

  I got this necklace when I was a teenager, and was quite taken with it. It came with a little scroll you could write on and tuck inside. Of course I have no way of finding out what I wrote, because since the capsule kept unscrewing and falling off, I glued the blasted thing shut and now I will never get it open again. Good job, 16 year-old me. Your secret is safe forever. 32 year-old you would like to have a little chat about skin care.

  Here is a shot with the fascinator, for Michelle:

  I thought the fascinator went really well with the dress, and somewhat less so with the biker leggings and jacket. Unsurprising. Maybe one of these days I will feel like a feminine pair of shoes and bare gams, and then we will see.

Dress: sylc camisa (eBay)

Faux leather leggings: unknown (eBay, various sizes available)

Boots: Naya Lark (old, eBay)

Denim biker jacket: Guess (thrifted)

Capsule necklace: very old (Sacramento)

Fascinator: Cara NY (Nordstrom, old)