The Wardrobe Journal

I, like many other creatives, have a thing for journals.  It doesn't matter how many I might already have lying about; if I see one that I like and it's American- or Canadian-made, then I buy it.  I'll use it eventually.  I always do.

So on Easter Sunday, I found myself in my closet, trying to find an outfit to go with my Pink Souffle Hair Piece (basically a hatified headband), which my dad bought for me after I blogged about it here (sometimes the power of suggestion works!).  It really is awesome, but it's often hard for me to find something that works well with it.  But like I said, it was Easter, and some kind of hat is required for that day (even if one is not necessarily celebrating the holiday).

I tried on outfit after outfit, which is not usually my style (I can get a good outfit down in fewer than three tries, and usually, I just know what I want to wear), and modeled them for the patient ladyfriend.  I found one that worked fairly well but required heels, and we were walking to dinner (fried chicken at Hambrgr - yum!), so that nixed that.  I eventually ended up with a dress that was good, but it took awhile.

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Clearly Optimistic

Dress: Comme des Garcons
Top:  Saint James
Shoes:  Converse Chuck Taylors (personalized by me - see Instagram for detail)

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: It'll Be a Cold Day in Palm Beach...

Turtleneck:  Uniqlo
Pants:  Betsey Ross pattern made by yours truly (fabric from Britex)
Shoes:  Robert Clergerie

Feel Me, Read Me, Make Me, Think About Me

It's not a super-heavy week for links; I don't like to populate my own link list too often with links I've gotten from other such list because in my fantasy world the people who read my blog probably read at least one or two of the other blogs I read.

Firstly, I was totally inspired by this post on Refashion Co-op.  I've gotten fabric from thrift stores before, but I hadn't really scoured the bed linens section.  Will be adding this option to the list.

Speaking of thrifting, I came across this ancient (in internet terms) article on Rookie.  Sure, the publication is for teen girls, but I love the way they approach thrifting here, and frankly, the young women who wrote it are probably in their 20s now.

Having finished Better than Before (the habit book I was reading), I readily identified with this recent Bikeyface post.  The only downside was that I ended up buying a donut today.

I was happy to hear that Isabella Rossellini is the face of Lancome once again.  It's not about Lancome; it's about Isabella Rossellini.

And finally, this piece on jeans and fast fashion really hits the mark.  I particularly like this line: "now we want our jeans lived in even if we are not."

Get your life a little more lived in this weekend.  Enjoy!

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Suit Up!

Suit:  Gormont (thrifted)
Top:  Rowan pattern made by yours truly with Rowan KidSilk Haze
Stockings:  No label (thrifted)
Shoes:  Isaac

A Little Sole-Searching? The Story of a Pair of Boots

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I recently had these boots resoled and reheeled (a dying art in a world of fast fashion), and as part of my commitment to make/mend/thrift, I felt these boots encapsulated a lot of those values as well as some other, nonsartorial, things.

I’m pretty sure my mother bought these Robert Clergerie boots for me at Bergdorf Goodman in 1995/1996.  I remember that the ladyfriend and I were still maintaining separate apartments and more importantly, separate finances.

For years my mother and I have had a semi-annual date to go shopping in New York, a tradition that has lasted into the almost 11 years I’ve been in Hamilton.  On each of these trips, my mother buys something for me.  My receptivity to this has varied over the years.  There was a time when I didn’t want her to buy me anything because I thought it undermined my independence and sense of adulthood; there was a time when it made me anxious because I knew she’d feel the day was a failure if I didn’t have something to show for it; there was the passive-aggressive phase when I tried to maximize my haul.  Over the past twenty or so years, I’ve come to a more nuanced understanding of this dynamic.

--> But in ‘95/’96 I was in the early years of my relationship both with my ladyfriend and living in NYC.  Shopping with my mother let me feel, for an afternoon at least, that I was not struggling financially in a demanding city (my mother had initially been against my move) and that I was really the woman I presented to the world i.e. able to afford her well-appointed life.  It was important that I had a moment where I felt like the concept I had of myself (yes, fostered at that time by my mother) was authentic to me. 

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Spring Is on the Horizon

Dress:  Rue du Mail
Tights:  Wolford
Shoes: Sigerson Morrison

Read Me, Feel Me, Eat Me, Buy Me

It's only Thursday, but this post doesn't seem to have any issue with regularity (it's all that fibre!), so I'm free to round these tidbits up when I have the time or inclination.  However, and I think I've addressed this before, I'm wondering whether I should really post more regularly.  I'm currently reading Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin, which is about cultivating the habits we want, and my writing (in its myriad forms) is at the front of my mind.

I recently posted about my Sophia Loren sweater, which I wore to work yesterday, and Tolt Yarn and Wool tell us why they love Icelandic wool.  This is in conjunction with their March Icelandic yarns knit-a-long.  I'm tempted to use the leftover LettLopi from my sweater to knit a vest and learn how to steek.  I'm looking at this pattern from Circular Knitting Workshop: Essential Techniques to Master Knitting in the Round, which I picked up from my library this week. 

Since we're talking about Iceland and wool, I have to highly recommend the film Rams.  It is so gorgeous, funny, and also heartbreaking.  Really.  Go see it.

As an avocado lover (yeah, there was no transition from sheep to avocado, I know), I'm interested in trying this White Bean Avocado Guacamole dip.  I like the addition of the beans both to add fibre (part of a balanced diet!) and to give another dimension to the dip.

And finally, I want this, but I can't quite justify it at the moment.  So I just keep looking at it.

Have a great weekend! 

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Pleased as Punch

Sweater: Sophia Loren pattern, knit by yours truly in LettLopi (brought from Iceland by the ladyfriend)
Skirt:  Casual Connection (thrifted)
Boots:  La Canadienne
Tights:  Hue