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Life of Colleen
What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2010-01-18
at 11:26 AM (Pacific)
I made this labradorite pendant necklace almost two years ago today (the vermeil beads in back counterweight the stone in front). Admittedly it has lain in a drawer, more often than not, since. Brought it out today...it's perfect. I've found making something, or buying something, years in advance to when you'll need it, is not a bad idea.
 Supima cotton/Modal turtleneck, made in the U.S.A.
I'm pretty much turtlenecked out, thanks to some spectacular sales.
Originally I was seeking a deep red top of some kind, and wasn't too picky about the shade. Deep red has been one of my favorite colors since I was a kid: all kinds of deep red, such as a red-wine hue, or pomegranate, or a color veering toward dark purple, or a faded deep red approaching orange.
Contemplated this:
It's pima cotton, made in Peru, and while that sounds a bit unnecessary I've found pima cotton items made in Peru to be next to indestructible. They were sold out of this top in Large though...I don't mind buying any cotton top in Large, so long as the company doesn't produce mega-baggy tops, since the bust is sure to fit. If it's really too big I can always "cook" it in the dryer.
This one (far right)...eh...it's pima cotton and Modal, and likely looks more luxe in real life. But how versatile? When it's cold, I don't want a scoop neck; when the weather warms, will I be as obsessed with deep red? Probably not.
On the purpler end of the spectrum:
The one in front still has enough red to be of interest...it's described as a fine-gauge pima cotton top, with a subtle puffed sleeve detail. But it would have been $80.95 with shipping (assuming no sales tax). If I'd needed a lightweight pullover sweater, that would have been one thing, but I didn't.
I wound up with the first shirt. It went below $10 from its original $52, and they had it in my size. But I haven't worn it. It's stashed away, likely for next year.
Debated a bit whether to post the official video for this song. The official version has a unique lighting effect (created using glow sticks, according to the comments), but keeps getting pulled off Youtube. If the group is good enough, live is better than canned, anyway.Labels: jewelry, music, supima cotton, videos, wardrobe, what i've been into lately
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What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2010-01-11
at 10:20 PM (Pacific)
Everyone came back from our furlough today. It was nice, seeing them all again.
My daughter commented that my wardrobe development was pretty much over with; all I'd need were a few particular items. I should say she's been an excellent wardrobe consultant, having the artistic eye I so do not. It's one of the best ways to do it...find an artist. It's like in school, where you would find the mathematician.
Got one of these:
It was a splurge, but it's killer. It's just the thing if you have thin, annoying hair like I do. The teeth keep it from sliding around.
Been using this:
It's a deep pink lipstick I'd tried on at the now-defunct Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley, years ago. I remembered liking it; but, when I bought it, I found it too much color and wondered why I'd liked it in the first place.
I must have tried it on in the winter, because it works now. So...winter might be a good time to bring out lipsticks that didn't work when you had more color yourself. It's counterintuitive, because you're thinking deeper color would look better against a tan of some sort, but somehow it doesn't, at least on me.
This is from a previous "What I've been into, lately" post, because the original was taken down. There was a time in my life when I listened to a lot of Daryush. I find I always return to the same things, the same people, the same concepts.Labels: hair, makeup, music, videos, wardrobe, what i've been into lately
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How to unshrink a shrunken wool sweater, part 2
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2010-01-10
at 3:36 PM (Pacific)
See How to unshrink a shrunken wool sweater.
I did try the "soak sweater with hair conditioner" method (and have since read to use 1/3 cup of conditioner, more than I'd used before), and had gotten some results...but I've wanted to try the "soak with mild soap, don't rinse" method for some time now.
For this you are to soak the sweater in lukewarm water with a mild soap, then grab it out (no rinsing), blot excess water in the sweater with a towel, stretch the sweater back to its original shape, and dry flat.
I should say I've been avoiding sweaters that shrink in the washer to begin with. Finely-knit lambswool or merino sweaters don't shrink much, as long as you put them in mesh bags--when you take them out, you can gently stretch them back into shape and hang them on the line. It's those loosely-knit, fat-yarn wool sweaters that seem determined to lock up on you, even with the mesh bags.
I don't have much space to dry anything flat, and don't like hand-washing clothes for the same reason I avoid ironing: it's time-consuming.
Okay back to the sweater...I tried it today, using a gob-load of Johnson's Baby Shampoo (enough to make the lukewarm water a tad slippery). It did seem to relax the wool some, so I grabbed it and stretched the bejabbers out of it. Hm. It's a nice day, so I put it on the line to drip to its heart's content. It looks bigger, but I'll post back when it's dry and I attempt to put it on again.
Why so many laundry- and mending-related posts? Maintenance is always a bit more key than acquisition. Acquisition is the flashier, more glamorous topic, but where are you going to put it? How are you going to take care of it? How long is it going to last? These should all factor into the cost of the item.Labels: wardrobe
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First post o' the decade
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2010-01-06
at 12:18 PM (Pacific)
I've dithered a bit over what to post here. Granted, it's an arbitrary date, but a new year is always special to me. I am one of those people who always make a New Year's resolution, and almost always keep it. (Last year was an exception, due to California's budget crisis...mumbles)
Today is the last of our mandatory furlough days. I don't think I've done this much laundry in years. lol Anything that can be washed has been washed. After a while it becomes scientific...what goes on the line and when (we've been blessed with three clear, mostly sunny days), how many times a combination of dryer sheets can be used, temperatures and cycles, minimums of different kinds of detergent; the whole shmeer really.
Now I just need to do my hair, some minor mending...and put a little E6000 at the base of a zipper on one of my skirts, the part below where it begins to zip. I discovered a rough place there after it got stuck on my tights.
I've had the above image sitting on the server since early last year. It is the most beautiful evocation of summer; what to look at when you start to wonder whether hot weather will ever return. To go with it, the lovely Eddie Cochran:
Labels: music, videos, wardrobe
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Odds and sods, part 4
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-12-27
at 7:28 PM (Pacific)
Dr. Hauschka Rose Body Oil review
Hermmm...I see this sample pack is a bit over two years old. I've been using up each item slowly--the three creams are gone, the kids got into the Lavender bath oil; the Blackthorn body oil is something no one seems to want to use, so it's slated to be next on my list. I've just shaken out the last drops of the Rose Body Oil.
I wasn't particularly into body oils; they appeared simply a messier alternative to lotion, and the inner cheapskate scowled that a mixture of oils and fragrances had got to be more economical to make yourself. But, hey. The Hauschka rep was nice enough to send a plethora of samples, and I've liked just about all of them--the products are, in a word, engineered.
Rose Body Oil is no exception; you need a mere drop or two of this delicately scented oil to moisturize an area of dry skin. It produces a silkier effect than lotion, and doesn't feel greasy on. As evidenced by my poky use of the product, it keeps at least two years. A full-sized bottle could be a negligible expense.
On second thought, I've decided to replace my current Salux Beauty Skin cloth. Its lifespan would appear to be about a year and nine months. Its scratchiness had diminished over time--it never frayed nor developed a hole, making it a bit awkward to throw away, but it is noticeably less abrasive (this is the thing for keratosis pilaris, ingrown hairs, and even some prevention of acne).
"Fixing" a zipper
I had a horrific experience: the zipper on my handbag ceased to zip. It'd started out getting sticky; crossed my mind it would need some kind of lubrication, like graphite for a keyhole, but one day the pull simply wouldn't lock the teeth. You'd yank the pull all the way over, and the zipper would gape open.
Sometimes the teeth at the base of the zipper would lock for about an inch and a half; I theorized one of the teeth beyond that point was bent, throwing off the remainder of the teeth. Got out my chain-nose pliers, and looked for something to bend back...but after a close examination, I couldn't find any bent or otherwise damaged teeth.
Finally I googled to get some ideas. One article stated you should lubricate your zipper by rubbing a piece of beeswax on it. I actually owned a piece of beeswax, from way back when, so I got that out and started rubbing it along each side of the zipper. You need to do this several times to make zipping nice and smooth.
Weirdly enough, the zipper works now. It wasn't really damaged; it was the stress of sticky zipping that kept the teeth from aligning.
The morale to this story is--if you can't find broken teeth on the zipper, and the pull starts out working (isn't out of sync at the base), why not try this method?
Edited to add: I'm also not unzipping it quite all the way.Labels: bath and body, dr. hauschka, product reviews, wardrobe
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Some recent-ish earrings
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-12-23
at 5:08 PM (Pacific)
 Hammered goldfilled hoops / golden rutilated quartz earrings  Peridot and vermeil / prehnite, peridot, tourmaline earrings  London Blue topaz / tourmaline earrings on oxidized sterling chain  Baby coin pearl / tiny pearl earrings on rolo chain  Moonstone and labradorite / rhodolite garnet, grey moonstone earrings
I'll go into more detail on the Beading Blog.Labels: jewelry, wardrobe
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Odds and sods, part 3
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-12-22
at 10:26 PM (Pacific)
Eh...tired. House cleaning, laundry, mending, yadda yadda...
Which brings us to:
Tide Coldwater detergent. I've used this for several rounds o' clothes; so far, it's good. It cleans as well in cold water as regular Tide would in warm. Possibly too soon to say, but it also appears to fade colors less quickly than regular Tide would in cold.
In 2010, I'm planning to get some black dye from Dharma Trading Company, and toss all my fading black cottons and linens into a ginormous dye vat. The site is a trip: four kinds of black dye (Black, Jet Black, Better Black, New Black), half a page of advice specifically on black dye, plus an entire small-print page of instructions on how to do it.
And finally--given this blog still touts itself as a beauty blog, despite the fact I seldom if ever post about beauty products any more--a passage about makeup.
My beloved Nars Jezebel duo eyeshadow has bitten the dust:
It's still in the "Vintage" section (which is polite, apparently, for "discontinued")... And there is a 20% off $60 coupon code, CP9H1211, good through December 31, 2009, at narscosmetics.com, and free shipping for $25 orders--et cetera.
Buying a back-up copy of Jezebel, and tossing in some other Nars-a-licious product to get the discount, would appear a cosmetiholic no-brainer.
But...do I really want a back-up copy of Jezebel in the first place? It's my favorite eyeshadow--the lilac side features a good-sized dent, whilst the coppery side can't, since it requires a light touch. The duo goes with just about everything...but it'll be months, if not years, before the thing gets used up. I bought it July 2007, and Nars eyeshadows keep for years, without the tragic hardening of, say, MAC eyeshadows, or anything weird and crumbly happening.
I'd much rather wait longer and visit a b & m Sephora and just fiddle around with whatever's on offer at the time.Labels: coupon code, makeup, nars, product reviews, wardrobe
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Happy Sunday!
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-12-20
at 6:48 PM (Pacific)
Hey, it's the Muni bus! uh huh....
A cheerful rendition of Nina Simone's classical tune (perhaps more famously covered by The Animals).
Trasparenze Gennifer merino wool tights review, continued
These stretch out half a size with wear. I now feel size 2 is correct for me; they were kinda like doll clothes, coming straight out of the package. You have to wear them once or twice.
Sometime I might check out the other shades--"dark khaki green," for example (Bosco) sounds useful--there is also a dark plum, fawn, and cream, as well as the Rubino red.
Finally got to see these in person (Bulo Shoes in the City carries them). I'm convinced now that Cydwoq shoes should not be bought online, unless it's a dire emergency. Like all things handmade, the shoes possess an intimate quality which doesn't translate too well to the Web.
The top leather is distressed-looking in real life, while the embossed lower leather isn't (and the pattern appears subtler too). These are the old pair of shoes I've been looking for. Though the footbed seems long and narrow, to me--I have those little Asian pancake feet--these run half a size small. So if I'd bought them online in my usual size, I'd be SOL.
Much as I've tried to avoid slapping up multiple music videos, I can't actually resist this one. Yabadabadai yoboboboboi, I wanna be your disco boy, I wanna dance with you, wanna hold you tight, wanna make you mine tonight...Labels: cydwoq, music, shoes, videos, wardrobe
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Brrrrr
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-12-09
at 7:58 PM (Pacific)
Okay, it isn't quite that cold here, but you've got to love Lewis Black. (If you are offended by bad language, yadda yadda...)
Trasparenze Gennifer Merino Wool Tights review
I got some of these--so far, so great. They're a better price than domestic wool tights, and the quality is lovely.
Gennifer aren't built for Antarctica, exactly, only slightly thicker than regular cotton-blend tights. It's a trade-off; I wanted something that would work with my existing pumps and boots. The colors, at least the ones I've tried, are perfect--Blu is dark inky blue, Fumo a very dark grey, Marrone a notch lighter than espresso...reminds me of coffee grounds, actually. I gravitate toward dark tights (easier to match with clothing and shoes).
Unlike other Italian-made legwear I've tried, these are relatively short; they just fit me (5'5", 134 lbs). I got size 2, which according to their size chart should have fit up to 155 lbs. in my height range--which is 5'5" to 5'8". I'm inclined to say no way would this size fit the upper end of that range in either height or weight.
Warmth-wise...not the warmest, but decent. In a lightly-heated office, Gennifer tights have been good to me.
It's too soon to say how well they wear, having washed mine only once so far, but I'll post back later on with an update.
Speakin' of updates...
 Salux Beauty Skin Cloth
I love this thing! I still have the one I bought around April of last year, and, knock wood, I keep waiting for it to go bad. It did lose an eensy bit of scratchiness, but it's still pretty darn scratchy, and it dries admirably fast even in cold conditions (no need to fret about mold).Labels: bath and body, comedy, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 8
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-11-17
at 9:54 PM (Pacific)
This totally reminds me of a shirt I had when I was twelve or thirteen. I mean the general shape, tie neckline and lovely pink color. To the point I was tempted to buy it. But, eh...how useful is this particular top? You'd have to see it in person, to determine its casualness or formality.
I don't really have much to say; I've been knackered lately. It's the worst time of year for my department--or the best, depending on how enamored you are of being, well, knackered. I'm okay with it. One trick is to take a nap when you get home, for even an hour.
Love this...not sure what I'd do with it though. The lace appears to have been sewn over a cut-out area of the camisole. Argh! What you want is a solid neckline, with the lace sewn over that. Still, it's quite pretty.
And finally... It's not the clothes...it's the ice cream. (Although a part of me craves the velvet jacket, in a 1970's kind of way.)Labels: jcrew, jjill, sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 7
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-11-15
at 11:50 AM (Pacific)
This past Veterans Day, or Armistice Day, was a paid holiday for us. I can admit it still boggles the mind, how Armistice Day became Veterans Day in the first place, but it's true...freedom is not free.
I'd fully intended to do nothing on this day off, but ended up going through the stuff that's been amassing on my shelves. I will do this periodically; I'm not sentimental. If it doesn't have a purpose, it goes. If I discover a need, it goes on my to-buy list. In fact, much as I'd envisioned this sort of...orgy of frivolous fashion conquest, touring my shelves revealed how boring and practical I really am.
This was the last of my recently-acquired J.Crack turtlenecks. (Sorry about the "J.Crack," I can't help it, in the same way "Needless Mark-up" comes out instead of Neiman Marcus?)
"Champagne" barely resembles the image. It's more a light creamy brown, than the delicate cream I thought I'd bought. Less versatile, seemingly, but lovely nonetheless.
Why so many turtlenecks? Again with the practicality. A turtleneck is the ideal garment to wear under sweaters. (Not to mention, everyone looks good in a turtleneck.) It's easy to replace, relatively inexpensive, a cinch to care for, stores nice and flat.
You're gonna need one of these, if you own even one unlined skirt or dress, and wish to wear tights, or even nylons. One day of not having to unstick your skirt from your nylons, and the thing is paid for.
I'm trying this one out...hmmm...it's filament silk. It doesn't look like much but has made a world of difference. Still I'm contemplating the Mary Green one; costs more, but seems likely to wear better.
Yes, part of me wants to replicate this entire outfit, down to the shoes. Life is short...hmmm...snaps out of it
These are wool tights. I bought some cotton/microfiber tights, but you can't beat wool for warmth. Adding in wool tights will extend the life of my cotton tights--I've been wearing the cotton ones every day since I got them, it's been cold--so next up shall be some of these.Labels: jcrew, wardrobe
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Odds and sods...
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-11-10
at 9:48 PM (Pacific)
Come to Mama! A built-in remedy, for Khrushchev and Kennedy--yes, I remember that song--I like these shoes, what with the little architectural windows.
Aubrey Organics Camomile Luxurious Shampoo review, updated.
I have since used this up, but don't plan to repurchase. Much prefer Blue Camomile:
Blue is thicker...I don't require weighty shampoo, but Luxurious was actually kind of hard to use, it was that watery. You had to pour and apply so carefully, to avoid wasting precious 'poo.
Blue smells better, as well: light and faintly sweet, rather than the almost medicinal scent of Luxurious. In fact, Blue has achieved this shampoo ho's (unusual) stamp of approval.
Neither lathers particularly well, being organic, but they do clean.
If the road to hell in software development begins with: "Wouldn't it be nice if...", in wardrobe development, it is: "There's a shop..."
This is a killer top. You may be thinking, meh, it's a cotton top...but it wasn't casually slapped together. Like the Art shoe above, a certain amount of thought went into its construction.
This top has a sort of draped, almost paper-like neckline (and cloth that evokes paper is one of my favorite things). The look is more timeless than the cowl neck I was contemplating before.
The cut around the bust is generous (yay!), without appearing baggy. Presumably the neckline would simply be more or less draped, depending on what size rack we are talking about.
The tiny "sleeves" make it seem more season-spanning than true sleevelessness, yet of course it would work in hot weather.
And...it's not cut straight, the way a dude would make it. It subtly undulates at the sides, just enough to be flattering, without being cheesy.Labels: aubrey organics, cydwoq, hair, shoes, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 6
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-11-01
at 6:22 PM (Pacific)
 image courtesy bulo shoes
I'm starting to like these, even though they strike me as impractical. When it's cold enough to don tall boots, the last thing in the world you want is a row of holes in them. Yet there is something pleasantly architectural about them. You could always wear wool tights I suppose.
I got one of these...a non-pencil, yet narrow skirt.
I loved pencil skirts when I was a kid, but have been reluctant to wear them now. Not sure why; perhaps I've just seen too many of them (lost my interest in engineer boots for the same reason).
This character from television's Criminal Minds is...my new style icon. I know, I know, he dresses too fly for an FBI guy, and he is a dude after all, but I love his style.Labels: cydwoq, shoes, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 5
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-10-31
at 2:55 PM (Pacific)
J.Crack update
I bought a men's cardigan on sale at the Corte Madera J.Crew, last time I went. It's no longer on the 'Crack website unfortunately, but it's a lovely black and dark grey, herringbone-patterned, merino wool cardigan. Something like this:
...but herringbone (am I the only one who finds the preponderance of solid colors robotic after a while?).
It was way cheaper than a women's cardigan would have been, and better. I washed it when I got home--I do that, for anything washable, to see right away how well it launders. And I detected not one fleck o' fuzz, nary a pill--as if a man would even notice? bemused
I don't actually want these shoes, but they're pretty decent looking.
Keener on Cydwoq oxfords:
 image courtesy bulo shoes
...but I'd want something in between the two. I've seen Cydwoq embossed leathers in person, and they are gorgeous, but not as versatile as plainer leather would be.
But then I haven't seen these "Recess" shoes in person; a bit hard to judge.
A mending tip
When mending a heathered item, in a place where it might show, use two threads--to match the two colors in the heather. Go over the hole once in the darker thread, then over that randomly in the lighter one.
Culled from Craigslist
Someone posted anonymously:
IMO they are adorable but be careful wearing boots over tights. I've had so many tights torn up by boots either because they are kind of ruggedly constructed inside or because the zipper snags when I cross my ankles. What I do now is tights, then cotton ankle socks then boots. Your tights will last longer.Labels: cydwoq, jcrew, shoes, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 4
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-10-27
at 8:00 PM (Pacific)
 Tissue turtleneck, J.Crew
Thought I'd investigate "J.Crack," finally.
I suppose, on some level, I still thought of them as the mail-order catalogue company they once were--akin to Land's End, LL Bean and Eddie Bauer--before swapping out their wholesome WASP-y models for super-slim higher-fashion types. But the merchandise was still quite practical, from what I saw, with only a veneer of pleasant sartorial snobbery.
Take this turtleneck. Not a particularly sturdy t-neck, yet perhaps the ideal layering piece, precisely because of its thinner fabric and long skinny sleeves. It might well span the seasons better too.
The material was not Kleenex-tissue tissue, exactly; I tried on the above shade with what I thought the worst-case scenario bra (light-colored, with a ton of flowers on it), and the thing barely showed through. nods
 Biella cotton blend tights at sockdreams.com
Similarly utile are tights blended with natural and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers help feet breathe, while synthetics add stretch and smoothness.
Italians make the best tights and stockings. Pro-American as I am, I've never seen anything like Italian-made legwear; it's amazing stuff.
 But we still make better shoes...
Okay, a tough claim, given the quality of Italian-made shoes...but I've been wearing these boots (mine are all black leather). Oh, I love them. To the point I'm wondering if it's worth getting the same model in dark brown leather.Labels: cydwoq, jcrew, shoes, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 3
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-10-21
at 7:50 PM (Pacific)
Sorry, blog! I've totally neglected you, having been mindlessly busy, if that makes any sense.
Fashion-wise...I suppose I've finally become the good Catholic girl I was supposed to be. It's easier to see the virtue in saying no, once you've had plenty of opportunity to say yes. So much of style involves nothing more than saying no, to the onslaught of shopp-ortunities. You must winnow the classical wheat from the trendy chaff.
Take patterned tights:
This style reappeared out of nowhere. Patterned tights were hot when I was in grade school, if I recall correctly; the kind of thing you'd wear with your go-go boots. Part of me still loves them, from sheer sentimentality, but is it worthwhile buying them now?
Eh...it's tempting. I'm inclined to say no, in favor of plain old tights:
How about a turtleneck?
Only it's not a regular turtleneck, it's a ginormous neck, which you are to fold and mush down, and it's of thinner material. Probably not the most practical purchase. But is it really that fabulous shade of red?
Again, highly tempting. I'm dithering (idly, since I space out purchases) between this and the more prosaic classical t-neck:
Though I've been on and off lusting over this dress:
...I know it would be killer on me, what with the old-school printed cotton lawn...this is more what I want to buy now:
Lest this appear to be apple vs. orange, both items are in the same price range, and both fulfill the eternal question (what to wear to work today?) with machine-washable charm.
The skirt pic doesn't do it justice; it's a nifty little gabardine number, with an interesting array of gores, almost like a jigsaw puzzle.
And speaking of classics, this Stranglers video has been sitting here; it's a brilliant cover (check the "Light My Fire" interlude). Not at all relevant to this post, I just happen to really like it.
Labels: music, videos, wardrobe
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Linda Ronstadt
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-08-26
at 8:36 PM (Pacific)
Hermmm...Linda Ronstadt was one of my earlier style icons. I don't mean the Linda Ronstadt on roller skates, nor the one at Governor Moonbeam's side, exactly; rather, the girl who would take a quintessential dude's song (Everly Brothers' When Will I Be Loved, Buddy Holly's It's So Easy, Rolling Stones' Tumbling Dice, Elvis Costello's Alison, et cetera, as well as the Roy Orbison tune above), and transform it, like a magician, into something feminine and powerful.
And the girl in photographs such as this:
Ronstadt had that California-essence, impossible to duplicate from the East Coast, to the effect: "I just fell out of bed this morning looking fabulous, isn't it great?" I mean this picture was from an article dated 1977. Is there any one aspect of her look you could call outdated, thirty-two years later?
I stumbled across this video--someone had mixed it with Amy Winehouse's You Know I'm No Good--I hadn't liked the song, in the mid-70's, it was a droning AM radio mantra...you're no good, you're no good, you're no good, baby, you're no good...but how entrancing it all seems now.Labels: music, videos, wardrobe
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Carla Bruni
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-08-23
at 9:52 PM (Pacific)
I came across this image--on craigslist, of all places. A pretty lady, for sure, but not why I saved the pic. What immediately struck me was that she was wearing flat shoes, with a narrow skirt...where everyone else presumably would wear heels.
This is a look I'm pondering...a pencil-type skirt with flats.Labels: shoes, wardrobe
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Menswear!
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-08-08
at 10:55 PM (Pacific)
I tried to find a video clip of Mr. Humphries (Are You Being Served?) answering the telephone; no dice.
Today the above composition caught my eye, as I am old enough to remember the concept from 1977's Annie Hall:
...and sufficiently aged to recall, at least second-hand, the sparkling sexuality of Marlene Dietrich in her menswear look:
The first, modern image depicts menswear, diluted to..."boyfriend." As in "boyfriend jacket," "boyfriend cardigan," "boyfriend shirt," yadda yadda... Ugh. That is so lame. That would defeat the joy of wearing men's clothes...that perhaps their clothes are more functional than ours have tended to be, there is stark beauty in anything useful, we can always switch back to women's clothes anyway, or doll up the look as desired...by dwindling these concepts to borrowing the boyfriend's clothes--I can stand borrowing the husband's clothes, but the boyfriend's clothes? ...as I say, it would totally trash it for me, were I not already a great fan of the idea itself.Labels: wardrobe
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Stretching shoes
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-07-29
at 6:14 PM (Pacific)
Why didn't I try this earlier!?
Stretched one of my shoes last night. It is a process; since--logically--they sell you only one of these devices, it takes at least two nights to do a pair of shoes. And the stretched shoe needs further stretching (you can do this a few times apparently). But wow...what a difference already. These were shoes of the right length (meaning I couldn't go up even half a size) but too narrow for me. And now at least one of them almost fits.
I caved and got the "stretching spray" even though you can make one (rubbing alcohol and water) since it was, ah, cheap. I don't see it going bad, so there is the convenience factor.
There is also a "vamp stretcher" (pricier than the regular stretcher above)...and I was talking to a shoe repair guy, who told me the old shoe stretchers did both, but my feet are wide rather than high, so likely a vamp-stretcher would be a waste of money for me. (Conversely if your feet are high but narrow, the vamp-stretcher might be the better way to go.)Labels: shoes, wardrobe
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Train in Vain
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-07-25
at 8:03 AM (Pacific)
I was feeling a bit sentimental, as usual...it's funny, you come to understand those middle-aged people, once you become one of them. When I was a kid, the middle-aged folks still loved their 1950's rock and roll. It's understandable (admittedly, I understood it even when I was a kid): this music is beautifully stripped-down. If you want a sartorial analogy, it is akin to the perfect black and white outfit. Everything is there, but nothing in excess.
Not overly nuts about the video, if only because I am old enough to have experienced The Clash firsthand. Mick Jones is merely ten years older than I am. There was a collegial feeling between fans and group, not fan worship.
The nice touch is the predominance of black-and-white images--which, as I say, is not coincidental. Fashion is a phoenix which must periodically burn and be reborn. The minimalist 1950's style became 1970's bloat, before Elvis Costello showed up in a skinny tie and Debbie Harry wearing blonde hair, tights and a simple dress.
I think the next trend will be this kind of simplicity, not another round of Laboutins. (I'm not knocking your Laboutins; it's just a predication.)
You say you'll stand by your man
Tell me something I don't understand
You said you loved me, and that's a fact
And then you left me, said you felt trapped
Well some things you can explain away
But the heartache's in me till this day
You didn't stand by me
No not at all
You didn't stand by me
No way
All the times, you and me were close
I remember these things the most
I've seen all my dreams come tumbling down
I can't be happy without you 'round
So alone I keep the wolves at bay
And there's only one thing I can say
You didn't stand by me
No not at all
You didn't stand by me
No way
You must explain why this must be
Did you lie when you spoke to me?
Did you stand by me
No not at all
Now I got a job but it don't pay
I need new clothes, I need somewhere to stay
But without all these things I can do
Without your love I won't make it through
But you don't understand my point of view
I suppose there's nothing I can do
You didn't stand by me
No not at all
You didn't stand by me
No way Labels: music, videos, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 2
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-07-22
at 6:13 PM (Pacific)
Digging the cowl:
Having read the Fashion For Nerds analysis of cowl necks, I realized afresh how cool this style could be. I don't think you need tons and tons of them, just one or two in nice colors.
Current drool:
Though I'm undecided. Tall boots or short? It seldom gets cold enough around here to require tall boots, but often sufficiently chill to wear them as an option. Hmmm...
Unexpected:
I spotted one of these purses on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) today, only it wasn't U2, it was Elvis Costello. I was enchanted--these look nifty in person, with the clear image jumping out from the usual deluge of faceless handbags--and had to ask where the purse-carrier had gotten it. Turns out it is musicpurse.com; you can customize or choose from readymade album-cover designs.Labels: cydwoq, shoes, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-07-19
at 4:15 PM (Pacific)
I love this image. It's not a look I would ever copy, but that is the point. This ensemble works perfectly for this particular woman.
That's been my stock wardrobe advice (which no one ever listens to), for years. Wardrobe is seldom the thing itself. I could buy these items and wear them, but the look would be wrong for me. If this girl walked into a room, the air would brighten; the rose skirt is ideal for youth, and the dressy-casualness (sorry for the horrible hyphenation...casual-without-looking-like-a-slob-ness?) would work across a variety of social situations and weather.
Hence...I don't often look at another woman's clothes with the thought: That looks great, I want to buy something exactly like it. I tend to look at clothes as components. How is this component going to fit into my life? or is it?
I could use the blouse, actually; not the remainder.
I've done some study of shoes, lately. A shoe is an approximation; the odds are good it's not going to fit your foot until it's broken in. Hence the notion of stretching the shoe. You can pay a shoe repair place to do it, but I don't see anything wrong with doing it yourself.
I haven't tried it yet but can admit I look forward to doing so. I asked at a shoe shop; apparently the "shoe stretching" spray or liquid they sell you, amounts to rubbing alcohol and water. You could use a spray bottle and make some yourself. The readymade one is quite inexpensive though; it's your call.Labels: shoes, sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Troika 4
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-07-08
at 8:24 PM (Pacific)
This is a bit fluffy, even by my standards...okay, I live for this stuff. It's just cute: the kid on a bike, the nice sunny day, rows of sweets in a shop, Brigitte Bardot singing... I challenge you to watch this without smiling.
This is a decent bra, actually. Of the mainstream brands I tried recently, Vanity Fair was best, and Body Superior Support Contour the nicest of the make. (Olga and Bali had beautiful bras, but with an annoying boob-smushing tendency.)
I knew it. There are two Dream Angels demi bras: the sale version (crap) and these. Note the narrow strip of velvety material sewn to the straps. Still not worth $48 imo, but the grey and soft plum models (neither of which made it into the pic) are killer.Labels: perfume, troika, videos, wardrobe
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Wardrobe natterings
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-06-20
at 9:40 PM (Pacific)
Hermmmmm...this blog has diverted, lately, from its original frivolous purpose.
I checked out the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale today. Walked out without anything. It crossed my mind I'd done that a couple of times, and that it probably was a sign. Do I ever actually need to go back there again? The VS panties are good, but you can buy them online. The bras you like are close to $50. You can get Wacoal for less than that.
I tried what I thought was this one:
It wasn't marked down in the store, but I was sure I'd seen it online for $12 less. I noticed something strange though; there were two kinds of them. Very similar in appearance, co-mingled in the VS stack o' see-through drawers, but not the same bra.
The "nice" Angels demi bra has straps with a sort of strip of velvet on them, and a much better construction. The "sale" Angels demi bra is crap, like all the other VS sale bras I tried on today.
sighs It used to be a good shop. Seriously. Now I think you're better off in a department store, or buying from an etailer with a good return policy.
I've started to compile a list of wardrobe rules, like "Gibbs' Rules" from NCIS.
- Never screw over your partner. This rule supersedes all other rules. (Just kidding, that is an actual Gibbs' Rule.)
- Never shop at Banana Republic. Mind you, I like their clothes, but that's the problem. The lasting quality varies wildly. Take this top:
I really like this; it's amazingly useful. It functions as a hot-weather top, but can be worn year-round with a cardigan. It's dressy enough, easy to take care of using the "LAMP" of garment care: Cold water/Woolite/Delicate cycle/Mesh bag, yadda yadda...I've washed and worn it many times, feels like every other week at least, since buying it almost a year ago. And it's fine. It went a tad dingy, but I Oxi-Cleaned it, and it looks great.
This on the other hand, was bought around the same time:
Loved the notion of a dark grey cardigan--the buttons are a tad cheesy, admittedly, but I'm okay with that because the rest of the sweater redeems them. The fabric is wonderfully soft and thin, so it's cozy, yet lighter than lambswool, and it's washable (remember "LAMP"?). But I've struggled keeping the pills at bay with this thing. I'm having separation issues at the thought of ever tossing it. So replacing it at BR is out of the question.
- If you shop at a store and walk out without buying anything, twice, reconsider the necessity of returning to that store. Time is money.
Labels: wardrobe
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Sundry bra reviews
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-05-30
at 7:59 PM (Pacific)
Happy Saturday! Oh, this really cheeses me off:
This is from the Vanity Fair "Private Collection," exclusively at Macy's (but is carried in a couple other places; try a Net search). It's a fantastic bra...comes in ethereal greyish blue, cream, nude-toned mauve, and black, and it's affordable.
What ires me: the smallest band size in this style is 36. I rifled the rack at Macy's, cursed them for not stocking my size, then went home, did some Googling and realized the dang thing doesn't come any smaller than that. Whaaaaat???????? I would have bought some, otherwise. Who says full figure has to start at 36 band size?
Tried this on, while I was at it:
...the Maidenform "Meant-to-be-Seen" Lace Cami Bra...as a possible less $ alternative to the Natori versions. Ugh. The lace so does not lie nicely as it does in the image. It just sort of...doesn't do anything. I'm not even sure it would look like a camisole at all, it just seemed to cover the lower part of the bra, which you wouldn't want to show anyway, and it doesn't lie flat.
I'd like to give the Natori Zen one a try--annoyingly enough, they didn't have it at Nordstrom, much less Macy's--but the thought occurs, it might be just as easy to make one yourself. Couldn't you take a regular bra and finagle a piece of lace over it? In fact what would be even better, would be something like the top of an actual camisole...a piece of lightweight cloth with lace sewn at the top, rather than (see-through) pure lace, or at least some kind of opaque lace fabric.
I'm a sewing clod, unfortunately...as a skill, it would be priceless these days...but I like small projects like that.
Wacoal's "Embrace Lace" bra. Loved this; it doesn't look like much, but it supports as well as those much bigger-looking bras. And the drifts of flowers are enchanting. I tried the nude one under a white shirt...it's well to wear a white top while bra shopping...looked fine to me.
Random bra advice...I read somewhere to try on adjustable bras using the biggest hook setting. The logic is the bra will stretch out with wear, then you can use one of the smaller settings, and then go smaller. I'd add it might depend on how stable your weight is. If it fluctuates, it might be better to go with the middle setting instead. (Likewise, you should be able to tighten the straps later on.)
The band should do most of the support, not the straps. It took me a long time to figure that out. If the back rides up, and you're shortening the straps a lot, the band is too big.Labels: wardrobe
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Dreams of Californication
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-05-23
at 7:36 PM (Pacific)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Californication"
Since this version got yanked from Youtube--and doubtlessly will be yanked from Guba, eventually--you might as well watch it now. My favorite part involves driving on the Golden Gate Bridge (who hasn't wanted to do it that way?).
Hermmm...years after sulfate-less shampoos became a miniature rage, L'Oreal cranks out their line of same. I haven't tried 'em, though I suspect they are good (L'Oreal being eerily adept at haircare); I've long used health food store shampoos to avoid color-fading ingredients (you will need to read product labels, if that's what you're after).
 Sundance Catalog's Madeleine dress
I saw this in person today. It's not as mellifluous as pictured...the colors seemed a bit harsh. Whilst this looked prettier than in the image (ah, my obsession with white shirts):
Labels: hair, music, sundance catalog, videos, wardrobe
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Sundry thoughts
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-05-11
at 7:40 PM (Pacific)
Oh, get outta here with that crinkled, no-iron, washable silk tank. I've actually tried this on; it's not worth the retail price imo, buuuuut...it just looks so darn useful.
Even the shade pictured--it's deeper in real life, more to the ecru than to the cream--you could pair it with so very many different skirts and slacks, and the deeper colors and reasonable arm-holes mean less sweat-stain worries. You wash it, squash it, hang it to dry...it works tucked in or worn loose, thanks to the nifty lace at the hem.
Am I talking myself into buying this thing? Eh...but I am up for something similar.
What caught my eye here was the sprightly, many-hued print. The all-is-made-in-China world o' apparel is ruled by prints of only two colors--much as pockets and extra fabric in the seams have bitten the dust.
This looks like something I could totally not wear, but you never know.
I love this unexpected duet. Michigan's Iggy Pop, better known as the Godfather of Punk, a shirtless dude jumping around before Anthony Kiedis (but after Jim Morrison), singing a love song with...Kate Pierson? half of the glamorous side of the B-52's (ask your mother). Yet, it works.Labels: music, sundance catalog, videos, wardrobe
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Happy Friday: Sundry thoughts and product reviews 1
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-05-01
at 6:37 PM (Pacific)
Mmmmm...love a Southern guy who keeps his accent. :) This song in particular evokes a slew of things I miss, in the almost 24 years I've been a Southern expatriate. You can hear the grits in this music, and the red clay and kudzu, and the people sipping iced tea from their screened porches.
Brushpicks! My mil turned us on to these. They are essentially plastic toothpicks, but with a tiny brush at one end and a curved pick at the other.
These are sturdy enough to be washed out and re-used many times...but the genius lies in the brush end. When you're totally knackered at the end of the day, and feel like doing nothing so much as brushing your teeth and falling into bed, you can use the brush end of this thing to quickly floss your teeth.
Woolite Dark Laundry, revisited.
Recently repurchased my dual Woolites of regular and Dark Laundry (though I have sighted Woolite for All Colors at Costco). So two Woolites last me almost four months.
It's a bit difficult to say at this point whether Dark Laundry is better than regular Woolite on darks. I have a black linen dress which now shows the most minimal signs of wear, but the thing is legitimately old. The newer darks look pretty good.
Dark Laundry costs the same as regular Woolite, is as mild, and smells nice. If it works even nominally better on darks, you haven't lost anything. I'll probably have a better feel for it after another four months or so, though.Labels: music, product reviews, videos, wardrobe
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Sundry thoughts and product reviews
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-04-25
at 10:36 PM (Pacific)
Was home sick for two days...with one of those weird colds from Hell, the kind I used to get all the time in Washington State. One staple of the Pacific Northwest is Sudafed (or the Costco version, at a better price).
Whilst guzzling generic Sudafed and painkillers, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands, and thoughts began to meander toward...our economy. Sure, there's an extremely ugly side to it; but in the long run, it will be interesting to see how it turns out. I feel it's like much of life. If you can last through the crappy parts, you end up on a higher plane.
When I was growing up (pre-Internet of course), if you wanted to shop for clothes, you went to New York City. :) Okay, some people actually did go to New York, but the rest of us had to settle for local department stores. There were Leggett and Smith & Welton, along with the prosaic (and now defunct) Monkey Wards, Sears, J.C. Penney and the like.
At the time I was constantly bitching why I couldn't find clothes similar to those in Seventeen magazine. There was some truth to it--"conservative" is too pale a term for 1970's Norfolk, Virginia--but, in retrospect, I was a lousy shopper. I "couldn't find a hooker in a whorehouse"; there were good clothes about, I just had no strategy.
So--even as b & m choices morphed from a mix of local stores and chains to...chains...and women coast-to-coast began to wear exactly the same clothes...simultaneously, a million online stores opened up. And just as the clever women of decades ago had their sources, and always looked smart while the rest of us clearly shopped at Monkey Wards, it's well to develop your own small list of where to go, for what.
While I was home, I started poking around on the Net to see what could be found locally. I actually like online shopping, in a deranged way--combing customer reviews of the item, trying to find someone with my body type--I think they should ask your measurements, for writing reviews. They are anonymous reviews after all. Shouldn't they ask for height, weight, and bust-waist-hip measurements? It sounds horrible, but wouldn't it be more helpful than your age range, which they do ask?
It should be voluntary, but I'll wager women who shop online would be more willing than not to share their measurements, because that's what's crucial to buying something you can't try on.
Yet, online shopping alone gets to be expensive. And so, in this early 2009, random, Google-flavored, Sudafed-induced stupor, I discovered four new places to shop for clothes locally. Hm. Not bad.
This is stellar when you're sick:
According to my mil--if you have a runny nose, you need to drink much more water.
I'm one of those sad sacks who loathe drinking water, but I like plain hot water or hot tea. The Yogi ginger tea is surprisingly tasty, despite its herbal ingredients; it tastes overwhelmingly of ginger. The other components merely pop the ginger and keep it from going bitter.
At first blush, Sundance Catalog's Riley Linen shirt would appear yet another heartlessly-priced Sundance offering, however attractively presented. But I've seen it in person, and--in that uncanny sixth-sense o' Sundance, there is something to it. It's engineered...to be wrinkled.
Now, I don't care about wrinkles on my face (I know, I should care), so I'd hardly wish to care about wrinkles in my clothes. Though I am one of those freaky people who don't mind ironing--I'm not particularly good at it, but I am competent--it is time-consuming. This shirt struck me as being impossible to iron; you'd ruin the effect.
It's something I've sought, for quite a while...on travel-clothing sites and others...crinkled clothing, or items otherwise designed not to be ironed.
Garnet Hill Button-Front Scoop-Neck Tee review, part 2.
Garnet Hill came through with their free exchange policy, and I now have two of these shirts. Definitely, your bust size determines which size to order. I tried the Large, ran it through the dryer (even at low heat, most cotton items shrink one size when tumble-dried), and came up with something wearable. If you're really stacked, I have to question if even the XL would work or would pull across the bust.
You need a camisole under it; these guys are not kidding. The white one I got was more ordinary than the Dusty Aqua, and part of me rather wishes I'd gotten either Graphite (dark grey) or Paprika (the peppy burnt orange one), but this is a top you reach for when it's hot. For me, white or off-white is far more versatile (mix it with any summer-weight skirt or any pants).Labels: garnet hill, product reviews, sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Troika 2
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-03-27
at 2:10 PM (Pacific)
Hmmm...I have employed way too many exclamation points in my blogger titles, as of late. Oh well. Let's do a bit of catching up, shall we?
Mederma Review, part 2
(see Mederma review, part 1)
I used this faithfully on my scar the recommended 8 weeks--December and January--then got lazy. The scar had faded after that time, but hadn't miraculously disappeared. Hence I have been applying Mederma, since much of the tube remains, whenever I can remember or find the time to do it (it's been pretty sporadic).
Currently--end of March--the scar has all but gone. I checked in the bathroom mirror under electric lights, with a measuring tape. At 3 feet away, the scar can barely be detected (no makeup). If you were good, and bothered to apply concealer, I doubt it could be seen at all. It is next to perfectly flat; only very slightly raised where the cut was deepest.
This was a cut that took nine stitches to close. I think this is a good product and certainly worth trying. (Best price I found was at Costco.)
Garnet Hill Button-Front Scoop-Neck Tee
I bought Dusty Aqua and White, when they were on sale.
I'd like to say I was bitterly disappointed, but it wouldn't be entirely true. On the Garnet Hill website, the tops are described thusly:
"Trim and slim in a stretchy rib-knit of soft pima cotton, this updated basic is finished with jersey-knit banding at the scooped neckline, button-front placket and elbow-length sleeves. Imported.
This is a slim-fitting style. For a relaxed fit, we recommend that you order up a size."
O-tay...but, perusing the first several pages of customer reviews there, the consensus appeared to be the tops ran true to size, or else ran big. I'm thinking now this is a sign...oh hapless online clothing shoppers...that the top is true to size, or even runs a tad large, if you're built medium to petite, bust-wise. If you're not, forget about it; that's when you need to order one size up.
I mean, according to the sizing chart, the Mediums I'd ordered should have worked for a bust of up 39 inches (size 10-12). The white one had three distinct gaps over the bust, where Dusty Aqua fared better at two lesser gaps--which would have only gapped more, given the washing instructions:
# Machine wash cold, gentle cycle, with similar colors
# Do not use chlorine bleach
# Tumble dry low
# Cool iron when needed
Then I noticed two of the iridescent shell buttons (nice, btw) on the white shirt were flaking off at the back. Clearly the button QA folks had taken the day off when that shirt went down the inspection line.
The blue shirt's buttons seemed a skosh rough on the backs, but at least they weren't flaking off.
Now, the good news. The Dusty Aqua was to die for; the ideal muted greenish blue, more subtly lovely than pictured. The material was nice and soft, lightweight, not overly thin.
The neckline was too scoopy to work as is; you need don a camisole or tank. I think it looks nicer that way though, as it would look blah with a high neck.
The sleeves looked best on me folded up once. (They with long, willowy arms could likely forgo the fold.)
All in all: nice shirts. Dressy enough for casual Fridays or the weekend, when you want to be comfortable without looking like a slob. But I suspect (without having tried the Large yet) your sizing decision should be based almost purely on the size of your bust. The rest of the shirt was not particularly slim-fitting imo.
Garnet Hill does free exchanges. I'm confident the replacement shirts will be just right.
The Animals
Eric Burdon, I love you. Although, for the longest time, I thought of the Animals as having made American music...beautiful, slow, heavy, a sublime singer up front and a real band. Hearing it now...the odd factor is Alan Price's keyboard playing on some of the songs. That sounds quite English to me.
And speaking of that, how about this song with a charming English accent? (Or you could spin the original.)
Labels: garnet hill, music, product reviews, skin, troika, videos, wardrobe
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Sioloonim: White shirts!
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-03-16
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
SIOLOONIM LAUNCHES FALL/WINTER COLLECTION
AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
- Couture white blouses with classic shapes and modern appeal set Sioloonim apart -
New York, NY – Sioloonim just raised the bar on classic white blouses for women. After a successful launch of the Spring/Summer 2009 collection of couture white blouses during Los Angeles Fashion Week, Sioloonim takes New York City by storm with their Fall/Winter 2009 collection, debuting during New York Fashion Week.
Founded in the summer of 2008 by friends Lois Rosenthal and Minoo Hersini, Sioloonim is a true labor of love and friendship. Two separate life paths led these two mothers (and grandmothers) together, and Minoo and Lois founded Sioloonim out of a desire to create and build a business that would be both fun and reflective of the two of them. Sioloonim is a collection of what they personally love to wear.
Sioloonim's collection of couture blouses modernize and feminize the classic white shirt with a unique twist, utilizing Minoo's passion for flowers and asymmetry for inspiration. Clean and white, Sioloonim's designs look striking and radiant on any skin tone.
The elegant and versatile line is made from the finest quality fabrics from Italy, Switzerland and Japan, including silk organza and organic bamboo. Manufactured in Florence, Sioloonim's couture blouses feature impeccable quality and craftsmanship, and include subtle details that mix the rich textiles with unique finishes and embellishments.
The line's impeccable quality and craftsmanship includes versatility that goes beyond day to night, and spans various styles to fit all women. The attention to detail goes beyond the design and fabric; each blouse includes a protective facemask to keep the garment clean from makeup when dressing.
Learn more about Sioloonim at www.sioloonim.com.
...
Okay, a wee bit out of my price range, but I like the idea. It seems to me you can never own too many useful white shirts.Labels: wardrobe
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Troika 1
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-03-03
at 9:57 PM (Pacific)
Haven't I been waiting my entire lifetime for a cherry blossom cardigan? mumbles, clutches wallet furtively...
The same peculiar, watery guitar lines as "Another Time, Another Place"; both from 1980's Boy.
I know, I know...an engineer is fortunate if he can get his socks to match, much less his boots. :D But I'm seriously debating these boots. Frye has managed to continue manufacturing them in the U.S., giving at least some people here a decent job.
I should say Frye boots were the 70's - 80's fashion mag staple footwear; there is some sentimentality there for me as well.Labels: frye boots, music, shoes, troika, videos, wardrobe
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Sundance revisited; more skirt reviews
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-01-21
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I made a pilgrimage...well, I went out to the b & m Sundance store in Corte Madera the other day. I don't know why I find it soothing to go there, exactly; I never end up buying much of what I'd gone there to see (thank G-d, poor wallet). But I always find something of interest, and never feel the trip was a waste.
I take it back about these:
They're actually pretty decent-looking sweaters--I think I was confused, earlier on, as to what was what. Not something I need, but nice punchy colors. The red one above looked lovely, and the black one even better (in real life it's more a mixture of black and grey).
Checked out some skirts:
This was honestly pretty bad. I was expecting a sheer burnout layer with stylin' paisleys, but the sheer effect was hard to see, much less the paisleys, and the overall appearance was too casual for the price.
This was quite pretty, but too long to do much with. I suppose if you're in the market for a long skirt...but how often do you really need a long skirt?
My argument for even considering Sundance prices, is to try calculating your "cost per wear." The stock advice of a wardrobe blog...you are to buy a wool pencil skirt, diamond earrings, a button-down shirt, yadda yadda... I'm not knocking it, but what about women who don't work in a suit office? What are they really supposed to wear?
This was kind of a bust, too. For one thing, the Sundance site claims this to be machine washable (one reason I looked it over in the first place), but the tag inside the skirt says Dry Clean. You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?
Besides that, it's a nice-enough looking skirt, but doesn't strike one as warranting the cost. It's just not versatile enough.
I have to love how the gores terminate in little gathered gores. The structure is quite unusual. But again with the uber length. What are you going to do with it? If it were even a bit shorter, it could be an interesting addition to your casual Friday/weekend stash, what with the black and silver.
Edited to add: They do have a Petite version of this, at 32 inches instead of 35. hermmmmm...
Thanks for reading!Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Troika
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-01-12
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Is "Troika" superior to "Sheer Randomness" or even "Yadda Yadda"? I myself dislike obscurity in blogging; that's when you wind up with tales of someone else's boring personal life. At least a troika means three items. Wait and see I suppose.
You'll have to keep in mind, though I've heard these songs many times--because in those days, you'd buy the album, if you wanted to hear anything...then you'd play it from start to finish, since it was analog--I've barely seen the videos. It's funny, seeing them now.
Isn't Adam Clayton (aka Naomi Campbell's ex) dishy? He was always the most overlooked member of the band. I read it was his bass-playing which defined the sound of U2...because he hated being in the background, he made the bass notes higher, which forced the guitar higher than that.
Shoe porn alert! Bag and Shoe
Why can't these guys be on the West Coast? Preferably the Northern part of Cal? :D Not only do they carry the exact Cydwoqs I want, they're in the right colors too. The key is being able to try them on, in your size, and to have a variety to sample in the first place. Out here, Bulo Shoes in the City are good. But more would be merrier.
LL Bean Supima cotton tee shirt review/update:
Dang if these aren't the best tee shirts. Initially I balked at the higher cost, since I've worn Target's Mossimo shirts at half the price. But these are easily twice as versatile, and will no doubt wear at least twice as long. The sizes run a bit large--I got a medium, where I'd get large in the Mossimo tees--you don't get the "bust pulling" thing. The sole complaint I have is the body could be a skosh longer...though, if it is a trade-off, I prefer more fabric in the bust (seriously, modern shirts scrimp on fabric).Labels: cydwoq, music, shoes, supima cotton, troika, videos, wardrobe
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Wardrobe yadda yadda
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-01-11
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Slowly catching up on my mending. Though I'm an utter clod on a sewing machine (more's the pity--it would be a useful skill to possess), I've never minded mending clothes by hand.
I "invented" a stitch in fact (I'm sure it exists, just never heard of it). You take a single stitch, then go back over it with another. The logic is, if it ripped in the first place, it's a high stress area. More thread- and time-intensive, but do you really want to come back and repair this place again? I'm thinking of using an excess-stitch technique on other mending projects. Thread now is cheap; time is expensive.
Of course it's a judgment call: when to mend, when to give up and toss the dang thing. I recently unearthed a beautiful cherry red cardigan, formerly belonging to the old man. The thing was coming to pieces. It took me several days to fix it. Still unsure about the sleeve...I went back over it again today.
The thing is this. To replace it now would cost a small fortune, if I could even find anything like it. It's lambswool, machine washable; I've washed it numerous times over the nearly eighteen years I've owned it (it's older than that). It doesn't pill. The sole buggers were a clothes moth invasion (hence days of mending), and stress on the sleeves caused the wrist fabric to split open--my fault, I should have reinforced it before it got that bad. (In my defense, this happened when I was taking care of my kids, so I had to stash a lot of things aside to do later on.)
Otherwise--it's almost as warm as a much heavier wool pullover would be, for being a lightweight cardigan. The lambswool fabric itself is simply wearing away with time. Inspect closely to find many places where the fabric has thinned. Some of my repair was in such places.
But the structure of the thing is sound, and it has three pockets. We've become a dreary world, where we grudge people their pockets to save a paltry few squares of material.
Oh...lol
I was trying to find a photo of the red sweater (I'm almost sure I took one, long ago) and came across this. I made the image for Cafepress for this site, in 2003 I do believe.
In those days, I was so paranoid about copyright infringement that I took a photograph of my own coffee cup and used that (I still have the cup; it's white). There was a red image and a blue one. Heheh...good times.Labels: wardrobe, yadda yadda
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Sheer randomness
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-01-07
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Sorry, couldn't think of a better theme. :)
Started using this the other day...Longs Drugs carries it (with a $1 off coupon, check the coupon book). I'm going through my Woolite too quickly, so I'd planned to buy two at a pop anyway.
I haven't had much issue with darks fading (regular Woolite and cold water won't easily fade good darks). Just curious to see if there's a long-term advantage to "Dark Laundry."
It's...Eric Idle! (just kidding)
Once in a while I feel like mining Youtube for the "real" 1970's. Not Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" blaring in a disco, platform sandals, ginormous afros, cheesy nylon dresses, gold chains draped over hairy chests--although all of those things were real--the decade was far more expansive than that. It was the period after the popularization of birth control pills, and before AIDS.
Not as sexy as it sounds...fantastically awkward is the phrase which comes to mind...yet there was the odd song. I loved this one, long before I comprehended the story. "On a morning from a Bogart movie, in a country where they turned back time, you go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre contemplating a crime..."
I was going to make this three items not two, but it's getting late.
Thanks for reading!Labels: music, videos, wardrobe, yadda yadda
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Wardrobe analysis, 2009: Shoes
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-01-02
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Aside from coats and heavy jackets, shoes are the most fundamental wardrobe staple...yadda yadda. I still haven't gotten mine, as I draw toward the close of my wardrobe project.
I do have my eye on some soon-to-be-end-of-the-season boots, to whit:
Only the ones I want are all black leather, not black paired with the burn-out design. I've nothing against the burn-out design; I tried it on in the "Handel" boot, and it's less funky and more versatile than it would seem.
Yet...the thing is this. I am getting shoes toward the end of my wardrobe development, not the beginning. It sounds counterintuitive; I'll guess most wardrobe gurus recommend you buy the shoes first, and jackets, then work the rest of the wardrobe around these key pieces.
However, I'm cheap. I would rather get some inexpensive footwear, like the Clarks "Tao" shoes I've been alternating for months:
...until I get enough clothes--enough pieces to compose the outfit I want, day after day, week after week, season after season, without having stuff I don't wear--once this sartorial nirvana has been attained, the "right" shoes will become obvious. Because they are the last puzzle piece, they have to fit in with the already-assembled bulk of the puzzle.
I've tried the Campus boots on; the calves just fit me, while the ankles are not tight. Form-fitting ankles would make these boots feel dated (when I was a kid in the 70's, go-go boots were high fashion; I owned a pair), but the snug calf feels good. The height is cool too...taller than a "shootie," but not a tall boot.
The little wooden heel is ideal for clods like me. (While I was at it, I tried one of their 2" skinny heel models, the Skate bootie...which looked terrific, but I was hopeless in the heels.)
I'm dying to try something like this, in fact:
Or these:
...with the shorter heel.
In that regard, it may be some time before I get my shoes, never mind the end-of-the-season boots. It's fine; I don't mind the Tao's. In fact I hate spending money on sandals, so I'm thinking of keeping something like the Tao in my rotation anyway.
images courtesy pedshoes.com, highartshoes.comLabels: cydwoq, shoes, wardrobe
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Wardrobe analysis, 2009: Sweaters
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2009-01-01
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Happy New Year!
/*****/
Sweaters are akin to lipsticks: tempting and facile to buy. You may easily end up with a ton load, and use only the same few, over and over again...so it's well to analyze what you do end up wearing.
In retrospect, there were two cardigans I donned much of the time, before the weather turned and I switched to pullovers: an off-white cotton zip-front cardigan from Eddie Bauer, which I have no image of...it's one of those generic Hong Kong style cotton sweaters...and this one, from Banana Republic:
Neither strikes one as extraordinary, but that's not why I wear what I do. I want something that works.
Off-white, or any light color, cotton is the best material for our Bay Area summers, because it's chilly in the morning, morphs into sweating heat mid-afternoon, then dips back into chill in time for you to walk to your public transport. You're going to be screwed until you figure out layers...and at least some of it is psychological. I had to remove my light-colored cotton cardigan only a few times this entire summer. Yet it's high-necked and it zips, so you can adjust how warm you want it to be.
Plus, it washed well (precious little pilling, for all the washer abuse I gave it). The one thing it couldn't take was tumble drying, even on low heat. That knocked the cling out of the knit row at the bottom. I'm still recovering, coaxing it back into shape while damp.
The grey one is the perfect color--dark grey, not the crappy medium grey women seem to get stuck with. And the fabric is soft. I've also washed it many times (in a mesh bag; I'm terrified of it pilling) and weirdly, it seems to like the odd tumble dry I've had to give it.
Neither is useful in winter. Here I brought out old sweaters...pullovers I've had for more than ten years, some around twenty. Since they're not new, and I haven't photographed them...eh...most of them are men's sweaters. Men have better sweaters anyway, but particularly pullovers.
I integrated some new ones into the mix:
These are Supima cotton; I was curious if there were a substantial quality difference. The black and green ones have washed gratifyingly well, but the dark navy blue is edging toward wear at the neck and sleeves. To be fair, I bought it first, but I'm planning to mesh-bag all of them (you can find lovely mesh bags at a Japanese dollar shop, should you be lucky enough to have one).
What about wool? You still need wool, dreary as it is to take care of. I've found tightly-knit lambswool fares better than loosely-knit regular wool, but of course I'm slavering over the concept of machine washable wool and wool blends. This wool/acrylic black beauty, for example:
Hm, looks like my off-white cardigan in construction, only with cabling. I'm hoping this will not only wash and wear better, wool-wise, but will also attract less in the way of clothes moths.
Which are actually not as indomitable as it would appear: there's a mass of information about clothes moths on the Net, and I've come to think washability of wool might be a factor in keeping them away. Apparently the moths are most attracted to wool which has been worn; the larvae consume your body oils, and any food residue, along with the wool itself.
So, questions for 2009 in Sweaters are--do clothes moths consume wool blends as heartily as pure wools? And are machine washable wools and blends less prone to moth attack? I'll write back here with my observations later on.Labels: supima cotton, wardrobe
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Wardrobe analysis, 2009
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-12-31
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
As we roll up the sidewalks on 2008, I'd like to write a post about wardrobes.
I've almost concluded developing mine...I'm afraid I'm not a very good impulse shopper. I actually dislike shopping. But it's that dislike that makes me want to buy higher quality clothing (whilst trying to avoid higher quality prices). To state the obvious, cheap stuff falls apart, and then you're stuck shopping all over again.
This wardrobe development has been a puzzle to me, and once the puzzle is solved, you want a different puzzle. I went through something similar before, to fathom the universe of beauty products. It is next to infinite, but there always comes a point when you have solved the puzzle and that's it.
I believe this runs contrary to how women are supposed to think. We are supposed to spend our entire lives shopping. However well that might be for retail, I feel it actually makes you a lousy shopper; if you're simply going to replace something after a year or two, why scrutinize the process? Why discern?
My goal has been to develop a working wardrobe that will last roughly five to ten years. I can't afford the twenty-year wardrobe, in terms of the items and of the care they would require. But I can afford the five- to ten-year one. And for the same money, or way more, it would be just as easy to buy a one- to two-year wardrobe--and still have nothing to wear in the morning.
Only time will tell if I've done this right, but I can admit I've been pretty pleased with my collection. I like my clothes. I'm still experimenting (and bombing) with what goes with what, but I feel my clothes are...practical...without looking, ah, masculine.
I actually don't want to look masculine, I find it annoying. Not if anyone else wants to look masculine, I just find the concept of a programmer having to look masculine incredibly annoying. Yet men's clothes are more practical, which, being a programmer, I find attractive. I suppose I've wanted to capture the practical aspect of men's clothing...and men's shopping style, where they're willing to drop more money, if the quality is there, in order to not have to shop too often...without having to look masculine.
It's not as easy as it sounds. Some items, like women's shoes, are by definition either impractical or ugly. The construction is so. It's either that or wear totally masculine shoes. I was drawn to Cydwoqs on the premise that Cydwoq makes shoes you can walk in, without the dreaded look of "comfort shoes." (Oh well, there's always Ebay.)
It's 10:10 in the evening, and I feel this is an auspicious time to conclude this meandering post and usher in the new year.
Thanks for reading!Labels: wardrobe
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I, ah, don't care for the hat
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-12-29
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
 image courtesy claudiaschulz.com
...but what killer photography. Actually makes you want to buy the hat. :DLabels: wardrobe
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Sundance Catalog sale
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-12-26
at 8:29 PM (Pacific)
Sundance Catalog
I slogged out to Corte Madera today, along with all the other intrepid post-holiday recession-istas. It was difficult even finding a parking space that wasn't a spit-fit. For parallel parking I actually don't mind jacking the car into the spot, but for lot parking, my worst nightmare is some bastard flinging open his door and dinging mine.
It was well worth it, since the Sundance b & m store had the same markdowns as the site. Sundance is as bad as Jjill in that items don't always resemble their Internet or catalog photos. For example, I saw some of these:
...which I'd been semi-lusting over for quite some time. Machine washable, plus no wool (unfortunately, anything woollen attracts clothes moths around here). Not horribly expensive either. Yet in person, I was a bit underwhelmed, even over the red model above. The color was not saturated enough; when you want a red sweater, it's gotta be red.
However, the skirt:
...was $30, down from $95. I had been pondering this skirt for a while. You can't lose with a black skirt (it comes in green as well as espresso brown, but I couldn't find the green in the store). A black skirt goes with everything; every top or sweater you ever owned or will ever own. I have a black cotton voile skirt I wear every week...the bugger is that it gets wrinkled, being voile, and I generally don't repeat the same skirt in the same week anyway. So I've been turning over the concept of two black skirts in my mind, for months.
A possible solution would be a black suede or leather skirt, which tends to look fresh no matter how badly you treat it, but that's a bit more formal-looking than I want for my workplace.
Another way is the prosaic black wool pencil skirt, but I wanted something different. I don't have a suit workplace, so again it would veer to the overly formal, and would require drycleaning to boot.
And the thing has pockets. How I crave pockets. Why do men's jackets have inner pockets, and ours don't? Don't hand me the crap that we carry purses. There's still no logic why our jackets can't have inner pockets.
I was afraid the skirt would be too short--on the model it's almost a mini--but factoring in the "model height skirt factor," it was a decent length on me. And the velveteen was quite warm, thick and cushy.
I was going to hit up Jjill afterward, but it seemed a bit redundant; what I'd wanted was a machine washable black skirt, and I got it for $30 at Sundance.
My solitary complaint was the Sundance store didn't have enough shoes and boots on hand. They did have these:
Calleen Cordero's studded ballet flats, handmade in the U.S., for a reasonable $159.99. These looked even nicer in person. There were sundry Frye boots and shoes, other boots, other shoes, but they needed more shoes. Where else are you going to buy shoes, outside of specialty shoe shops? The shoes at Nordstrom and Macy's are horrible, I don't even bother.
Happy holidays and thanks for reading!Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-27
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Listening to: Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, Blitzkrieg Bop (This song is cute with an English accent.)
Okay, so I finally got my fall/winter skirts. I just took the olive velveteen one out in fact, to look at (it's not cold enough to wear it yet). It's beautiful. In natural light, it morphed back to olive-dusted brown (had appeared greener in the shop).
The genius of this skirt is that it can be washed at home. That's one thing that struck me when I discovered J.Jill (the skirts are from Sundance Catalog, I'm just saying): the genius of J.Jill is that most of the items can be machine, or sometimes hand, washed. Granted you take a cut in fanciness. But, unless you're independently wealthy or are paying someone to take care of your clothes, time and money are key factors in building your wardrobe. I don't care to be either, so hey...
The only other fall/winter skirt I've been tempted by is from J.Jill in fact, but it's insanely difficult to find. I've never seen it in the b & m stores. It was on the website briefly before vanishing; I've spotted it in two print catalogs. It's a sort of grey herringbone gored skirt. Eh. I'm not in a rush.
What I really need now are shoes and boots. Those I want to spend money on, so I'm really not in a rush here. There are now many relatively inexpensive, comfortable-looking, decent-looking shoes about. And I could get those. But I've never been into owning a variety of shoes. What I like is owning one or two pairs of shoes that I'm totally crazy about. The shoe has to exist in a vacuum; it has to coordinate with my clothes, of course, but for me it's not a matter of matching particular shoes to particular outfits, if that makes any sense.
My next pair of shoes will have been made in the U.S. I decided that long ago.
I'm frantically in search of a sale or coupon code lolLabels: jjill, sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Teeshirt meanderings
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-26
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
My tee shirts are wearing out, slowly but surely.
Last time I bought, I tried the Mossimo tees at Target (which now, apparently, go by Mossimos "Black" and "Red"). Not bad, actually, but not "it." My ideal tee shirt lasts years, several at least, without looking ratty. The lifespan of a Mossimo tee is about a year, certainly less than two. For the price, they last as well as you could reasonably expect, but I'd rather pay more and not have to replace as frequently.
Decided to try L.L. Bean's Supima cotton tees. It was either those or Land's End Supimas, and Bean has better and more colors, plus boatneck, turtleneck, and stand-up neck styles, all rendered in cuddly Supima cotton knit. (Still debating whether a stand-up neck looks a bit silly, as if you didn't have quite enough fabric to make a real turtleneck.)
In Land's End's favor, they carry Supima sweaters--cardigan, boatneck, turtleneck, etc.--which Bean does not. But let's talk tees for now.
I've never been big on colored tee shirts per se. My concern for hue selection has more to do with the turtlenecks, and styles other than your basic short sleeved tee. I end up reaching for a plain white or black tee more often than not.Labels: supima cotton, wardrobe
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Internet: Blogs of the day
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-21
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I stumbled across these charming blogs whilst googling for folks writing about the Sundance catalog.
Rural Fashion: An homage to women who live down dirt roads but dress for 5th Avenue.
From its arresting cover image (corn!) to text from a random post: "A message for Jonathan Saunders for Target: The 90s called. They want their clothes back." to the sagacity of Murphy's Law of Fashion--it's all-around fashion blogging goodness.
designdelicious
A fellow Southern expat (don't you loathe that word? is "expatriate" that long?)...
"Let me remind you that I hail from the great land of North Carolina. Gun toting Republican land. Confederate flag waving land. And I'm filling out my vote on a bubble sheet in pencil?!"
...yep, she's a real Southerner. This is, as the name suggests, a design blog, filled with original slants.Labels: internet, wardrobe
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Sundance Catalog Corte Madera store and skirts reviews
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-20
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I journeyed to the Sundance store at Corte Madera this weekend. Actually it's not that far, and I'm beginning to warm to the Corte Madera mall itself. Yesterday I sighted a buffed security guard with a bicycle in the parking lot. I felt gratified, not only because he was buffed and had a bicycle, but because of the visible security.
There's a tower where you can climb up (endless, at my age) flights of steps--to a spectacular 360-degree view of azure sky, sparkling Bay, rangy Richmond Bridge, and dark hills.
The Sundance store itself is lovely. Friendly service, no pressure to buy. They don't have the full range of online items, but that's to be expected; they did have the skirts I'd come for, to whit:
I'm including both images because the skirt is a cross between the pure green-olive of the upper one, and the olive-dusted brown of the lower. Basically it's an olive green skirt with a brown undertone. The construction...I can admit I was hoping it would be lined, which it isn't, but the construction seems sound. The cut is forgiving for middle aged figures. And the fabric is as soft as you'd imagine.
The red version of the skirt was quite orange. On the site it appears strong red with an orange tone, but I feel it's almost as much orange as it is red.
The sizes for this run a tad large; you might go a size smaller. The 8 fit me, where on the chart I would have dithered between 10 and 12.
I also tried the corduroy one, which is currently on sale:
The green was of more interest to me than the deep chocolate brown or the butternutty golden brown one. The green was a fantastic blend of celadon and grey, with a subtle hint of blue...sighs. It really would go with just about any top or sweater in my 'drobe. But it just wasn't right.
It was long, as described. I'm 5'5" and on me, this was officially a long skirt. Not sloppy-long, but the right length for someone that height seeking a long skirt. I wouldn't recommend it to someone much shorter than that. (I don't wear heels, which could be a mitigating factor.)
The fabric feels washed, totally flexible, with none of the stiffness corduroy is prone to--so color, fabric and price are good.
The cut though, imo you need a nice butt to fill it out, otherwise you look as straight as a ruler. If you've got the butt for it, you might want to try it. I was afraid it would be too casual, what with the back pockets and front buttons, but it isn't. The fabric and colors are nice enough to make it office-appropriate, at least for a business casual workplace. If you wore a sweater with it, in fact, you wouldn't see either anyway.
The sizes are truer here and the 10 fit me.
They had the black and espresso brown versions of this one (they might have had the olive green, but I didn't catch it):
Argh? I'm too old for this length of skirt. It's too bad; I love the idea of practical cargo pockets paired with lush cotton velveteen, and the shades offered were useful.
I didn't bother trying it on, because of the length...these aren't inexpensive clothes, so "almost right" won't do it.
Finally, this:
This isn't as green as in the image; it's as much grey, if not slightly greyer than green. The twill isn't thick and stiff as I'd feared, but rather thinner and soft. I hesitated some and didn't buy it Saturday, because I wondered if it wasn't too casual for the office. I wouldn't pay this price for a casual-only skirt. But it bothered me all night that I hadn't gotten it. I checked the site and saw only sizes 4 and 16 remaining (in this I need a 10).
Its charm lies in the godets...I barely recalled what a godet was and had to look it up, but it's the triangular piece of cloth sewn in at the bottom of the skirt. It's different from a gore, which is a tapered piece of cloth rather than a triangle; many skirts are gored, including this one, but godets aren't as frequently used.
Here it all just looks engineered, and the cut is flattering and even subtly sexy (at least it is if you're an engineer lol ). Grey is one of the more ideal neutrals: not harsh like black, easier to maintain than white, a bit more versatile than brown, more formal-looking than khaki.
I ended up getting the Carnegie skirt on Saturday and the Twill on Sunday. Which concludes my fall/winter skirt shopping, at least in this price range--hopefully for some years.
It's more money than I'd normally drop, but these are not impulsive purchases. Cheapskates seldom impulse-buy, and will spend money only if they think it means spending less in the long run.
I didn't buy wool skirts--much as I crave a stylin' wool plaid skirt--because the weather here is temperate enough to make wool moths an issue, as well as negate the actual need for wool skirts.
Machine washability is key; the cost of drycleaning should be factored into the cost of the item, and most wool is dryclean only. I went out of my way to find office-friendly clothing I could wash myself.
And, I feel a skirt should be special. If you have a suit job, it makes sense to regard skirts the same as pants: "I need a pencil skirt" or "I need a black skirt"--and then buy the best-quality one you can afford. But non-suit skirts are parallel to dresses, in personality and individuality.Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Sundance Carnegie Skirt part 2
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-18
at 12:02 PM (Pacific)
Just a quick note here...the "brown" skirt I'd posted about earlier turns out to be, ah, much greener than originally depicted.Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Sundance b & m store is open, and henley review
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-12
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
They finally opened the Sundance store at Corte Madera. It's the second b & m Sundance shop, though it's in the works to open fifteen more over the next few years (according to my Net noodlings anyway).
I haven't gotten out there yet; just as well, as likely the opening was crowded. I don't mind crowds, but I loathe shopping in one.
Some time ago, I bought this Sundance henley online:
This is a truer image than the one they used for the henley alone. :p Still...doesn't this appear to be a cream-colored shirt? Off-white, even? It's actually as much grey heathering as cream background.
And the sizing is...weird. I dithered between trying medium or large, based on the size chart. I can do medium as long as the bust is cut "generously"--to me it's not particularly generous, but many garments today seem cut small there. (If I were cynical, I'd say the makers were being stingy with fabric.)
So I went for large. How large could it be? It's cotton, so I could always fry it incrementally in the washer and dryer (if you try this, it's at your own risk!)...or just fold up the sleeves (years of borrowing men's clothes have made this rather mundane to me). But if I went for medium and the bust shrank, I'd be stuck fiddling around with snaps, which doesn't always work perfectly.
The large henley...the sleeves are the main "large" part. They're hella long. Even after I fried the shirt, they were still a bit long. I'm too lazy to put them up; it's a casual shirt, and has buttons on the cuffs; I should be able to get away with a small fold.
The bust just fit--not tight at all, but not sized in proportion to the sleeves! I'll venture the medium wouldn't have done it.
The rest of the shirt...a bit shorter in length than I would have liked, but not "too short."
So...I had this shirt, of an odd grey-cream mixture, sleeves a tad long, and I wore it.
The thing is this: this is the most comfortable shirt I've worn since...hmmm...ever. It is preternaturally comfortable. Our climate (San Francisco Bay Area) is supposed to be temperate, but it's not that simple...it'll alternate between hot and cold, from day to day or even hour to hour. On the day I wore the henley, I had a leather jacket and cotton sweater over it. The day prior to that, it was tank top weather.
This goes to my pet theory that fibers are key, and the difference is not always obvious, nor reflected in price. I bought this shirt because: a.) I needed to replace my white henley; b.) this looked similar--nicer even, what with the rows of iridescent shell buttons; c.) it was very reasonably priced and d.) I wanted to give Sundance a shot.
When I saw the shirt, I wasn't impressed, but when I wore it--homina homina homina!Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 4
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-11
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
What's your favorite shirt, the one you reach for first after doing your laundry?
I've come to believe a favorite shirt is akin to a signature perfume or a "go to" lipstick. There's something eternal about it. Even if you move on to some other fragrance, lipstick or shirt, it's well to go back periodically and review.
For several years, my favorite casual shirt has been a plain white long-sleeved cotton henley. It goes with everything, is the right weight for most weather, can be layered over virtually any camisole, tank or tee, and is easy to care for. And it always looks...right.
Prior faves:
- A military-style olive green long-sleeved henley. Olive green goes with just about anything; it's only slightly less versatile than the white henley.
- A blue-grey 3/4 sleeve cotton boatneck top from Banana Republic (back when BR still made incredibly durable shirts).
- A black v-neck 3/4 sleeve BR tee, when such a creature was far more obscure.
Now that I have a 9-to-5 again, I like this off-white cotton-silk sweater:
The website image is inaccurate: the neck is much scoopier, and the necklace craps up the lines. But the actual sweater is lovely. (This jpg is a swatch from one of my Photoshop document files.)
At the bottom of the swatch, you can see the cotton henley I'm trying as a replacement for my white one. I bought the former online, and was initially dismayed to discover it wasn't as white as depicted, rather more of a greyish oatmeal hue, if that makes sense (and doesn't sound too unappetizing).
But then I maintain a white shirt needn't be snowy. I have a range of "white shirts," from ivory to cream to, well, light greyish oatmeal. If I can plug the oatmeal shirt into the outfits in which I wore the white henley, it's okay with me.
As far as the olive green henley, I haven't found a replacement. My old one was a man's shirt from the Gap. But I am sort of looking (and suspect the replacement will also be a man's shirt, since army green is harder to find in the ladies' section).
I'm happy to skip trying to replace the blue-grey 3/4 sleeve boatneck, but I am planning to buy a boatneck tee. Along with the v-neck, I find the boatneck most flattering, but v-necks have become quite common. (It's well to note I'm never without a black v-neck fitted tee though...echoes of an earlier favorite shirt.)
LL Bean has a boatneck tee on their site that looks good, but the color range is limited. American Apparel's color selection is wide, but their boatneck is sheer jersey--not the look I'm after. Mmmmm....haven't decided yet, but it's not a priority, the way replacing the white henley was.Labels: wardrobe
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Wardrobe: Cardigans
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-09
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Cardigans are also a handy layer. I'm still working on mine...had three lovely lambswool cardigans from the Gap (from when the Gap still made good clothes), but lambswool tends to depend on drycleaning and a dearth of wool moths. And I had three longer cotton ones from (old) Gap which simply fell apart after years of washing and wear.
Do ya really need three cardigans? It's not a bad number. One essential in our Bay Area climate is a light-colored cotton sweater...bone, ivory, tan or whatever lighter shade you like. This works when the weather suddenly turns hot, in the middle of the day; a darker-colored garment would look and feel sweaty. Yet it's cold in the mornings, so you still need something.
One cardigan should be your favorite color, I think, since much of your wardrobe is in that range anyway.
The third...eh...as I say, I'm still working on my cardigans. :) Been experimenting with alternative materials, like the cotton-silk-viscose blend of the dark grey and blue-green models below (upper right corner):
Both are darker than depicted, especially the blue-green one. The fabric is soft and almost lambswool-y (has a minor amount of cashmere in it), but I'm wondering how well it'll wear. Oh well, wait and see.
As usual, the J.Jill items are next to fug in images, yet amazingly beautiful in real life (and typically vice versa!). The ivory cotton cardigan has carved buttons of varying sizes; I bought it at least in part for the buttons. (Three-quarter length sleeves might be good for a white sweater too, since it's the long-sleeve edges which look grubby first.)
The purple-toned blue one...looks nothing like the photograph. With Banana Republic, you can sort of shop online, but with J.Jill you really shouldn't. Anyhow, the blue cardigan is a blend of cotton and acrylic yarns. I'm hoping it'll reasonably sub for wool (until they develop a wool that doesn't shrink nor get eaten by moths coughs).
Still toying with the one at the bottom. It's Supima cotton, comes in a multitude of shades (save dark grey, drat it) and is reasonably priced. Since I don't need more cardigans, I'm happy to wait for a sale.
Kurt Cobain turned me on to cardigans, by the way.
Labels: music, videos, wardrobe
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Wardrobe: White Shirts!
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-08
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
This was from an invitation, so I painted out the invitation info. What intrigued me was the concept. White Shirts...what I've been griping about for months. The fact that, much of the time, what you want is a white shirt, and one that doesn't look too ordinary.Labels: wardrobe
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Wardrobe: Rack solutions
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-07
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
If you've got rack issues, you'll want to have some of these in your kit:
These are actually jumbo snaps, from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics of Berkeley, but I couldn't resist. I passed by their shop because I was early for an open-source project open house, which was located in an obscure part of Berkeley:
Stonemountain looked intriguingly busy as I peeked into their window. :)
Anyhow, back to the snaps...I have a set of regular-sized ones handy in my sewing kit. You never know when that fabulous top or dress is going to shrink in the wash. The "tiny safety pin solution" is inferior, because it's a hassle. Once you have snaps sewn into place, you can wear the item without fretting.
Use as few snaps as necessary; the thing is the weight. And the snaps need not be positioned equidistant between the buttons. Sometimes placing the snap higher is more effective.
There are times when snaps are a bugger to use, because the gap is too much to really cover. That's when you'd start poking around the sides of the garment, to see if there's enough material to let out. If there isn't, don't worry too much, go ahead and sew the snaps anyway. You can always finagle a sweater as a top layer or something like that.
snaps image courtesy www.stonemountainfabric.comLabels: wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 3
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-06
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
 The Clash on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
Embedding disabled by request
This image, perhaps beyond all others, has influenced my idea of "what to wear." It's not that I wear literally these items, but the photograph was a revelation. The cover was printed in 1980, arguably the peak of The Clash's popularity...and what they were wearing could be found anywhere, at any store. I mean I had Levi's like that. It was a matter of putting it together and acting cool.
On a side note, I've had two "brushes with greatness" in my life, and one was with the late, and great, Joe Strummer. (The other was with Jerry Brown, but it's far less interesting.) I was fifteen or sixteen, really can't remember, and had gone to see The Clash in Virginia. I was up at the front of the stage, and it was packed...but Clash audiences, at least in the U.S., tended to be very nice. At any other rock show, someone was always trying to grab your butt, but that wasn't true here.
So I was jumping up and down, and I lost one of my shoes about half-way through the set. At that point all I could think of was finding my shoe. I started asking the other fans if they'd seen it, and they started looking for it, in the midst of the concert...and then some of them spontaneously launched me up onto the stage.
Here's the brush...Joe Strummer looked at me in this really friendly, natural way, like the guy next door, and did this little "bump" thing with me.
After that the roadies came and got me off the stage, but nicely; it was all fantastically civilized. I managed without the shoe, but after the concert, I found it. And I put on my shoe and went home.
I'd say I believed far more in the connotation of an outfit, than in anything else, after seeing that picture. If you see a girl in a floaty white dress and simple sandals, you're not likely to care if she's wearing Chanel or Prada, or if the outfit cost $5000 or $50. What you see goes beyond that--if it's done right. (Okay, you can tell I don't have stock in Chanel or Prada. rolls eyes)
Tommy gun
You ain't happy 'less you got one
Tommy gun
Ain't gonna shoot the place up just for fun
Maybe he wants to die for the money
Maybe he wants to kill for his country
Whatever he wants, he's gonna get it
Tommy gun
You better strip it down for a customs run
Tommy gun
Waiting at the airport till kingdom come
And we can watch you make it on the nine o'clock news
Standing there in Palestine lighting the fuse
What you want, you're gonna get it
Tommy gun
You'll be dead when the war is won
Tommy gun
But did you have to gun down everyone
I can see it's kill or be killed
A nation of destiny has got to be fulfilled
Whatever you want, you're gonna get it
Tommy gun
You can be a hero in an age of none
Tommy gun
I'm cutting out your picture from page one
I'm gonna get a jacket just like yours
And give my false support to your cause
Whatever you want, you're gonna get it!
Boats and tanks and planes, it's your game
Kings and queens and generals learn your name
But I seen all the innocents, the human sacrifice
And if death comes so cheap
Then the same goes for life Labels: music, videos, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 2
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-05
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Okee...
In our capitalist society, we tend to get two diametrically opposed dictates about style and fashion. One is that we are to be individuals, and know ourselves intimately, and choose only items which flatter. Sounds great, but everything we're bombarded with in our media is based purely on sales, and has little if anything to do with the individual. In fact we are pushed to conform, by the majority of what we see.
It occurred to me at one point, whilst drooling over some fashion magazine image--that outfit looks great...on the model. If you picked it apart--the actual items of clothing--and imagined yourself within them, it wouldn't work.
Further, the thought occurred the majority of fashion doesn't work anyway. Individual items and styles, colors and fabrics, can work brilliantly and inexpensively, but it's not simple, it's a synergy.
So it's like, what do you put on in the morning? You need to own enough pieces to assemble a different puzzle each day, yet the puzzles should be consistent, comprised of the finite set of components which meld with, ah, you. Your hair, your eyes, your figure, height, profession, lifestyle, budget, time allowance for shopping and clothing care, yadda yadda...
Here are some questions I've asked myself, because the object has always been to narrow...not reduce necessarily, but to be able to get up every morning and look good for that day.
Pants or skirts?
Pants are more fashionable now, or else the ubiquitous pencil skirt. I don't wear either.
Mind you I can dig either, on someone else. I work in a heavily male-dominated field, so it's like everyone wears pants. Pencil skirts are cute, but for those you need the entire look--the right kind of shoes and blouse--and that look is too formal for my job. So for me, both are out.
I went for a longer skirt, below the knee, and I have a couple longer ones too. This is a looser, flared fit. I'm enough of a sucker to have bought patterned skirts...love 'em, and they're easier to find...but they're much harder to match to blouses. A good, solid-colored skirt is worth a lot more than a good patterned one imo.
So, it's pants or skirt, length of either, material of either, fit of either, and what it goes with.
If you went with the skirts--tights, stockings or bare legs?
Stockings are supposed to be totally out of fashion. Why? Who cares? Again it's about making decisions for yourself.
I've worn stockings since I was a teenager, and they've been in style since there were stockings, except in the late 1960's - early 1970's, when the "hippie" look reigned, and jeans or tights were "in." So I need not worry about stockings...I like them, history has favored them, and in a few years they'll be back in fashion anyway.
I do have my eye on these tights:
They're $42, not an impulse buy--but again I don't wear tights often. If I bought these, they would remain pretty pristine for a long time. What intrigues me is the "SmartWool" they're fashioned from. Like Supima cotton, it's a specialized fiber, and I'll be interested in "non itchy" wool. These are machine washable too, which makes them even more tempting, but I'm happy to wait for a sale.Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Wardrobe meanderings part 1
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-10-04
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I'm too tired to make much sense tonight, but I'll bet you haven't seen this video. It's pretty cool.
Here's what I started to write:
In our capitalist society, we tend to get two diametrically opposed dictates about style and fashion. One is that we are to be individuals, and know ourselves intimately, and choose only items which flatter. Sounds great, but everything we're bombarded with in our media is based purely on sales, and has little if anything to do with the individual. In fact we are pushed to conform, by the majority of what we see.
...yeah but, what else is new? Have a great evening. I'll try to come up with something better tomorrow.Labels: music, videos, wardrobe
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Wardrobe: Price v. cost
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-29
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I went shopping the other day, because I needed a camisole. I maintain camisoles are fundamental to a good wardrobe, and are generally underrated. It's not easy finding good camisoles, either, though it's way too easy finding mediocre ones.
Got the camisole pictured above, in an ivory color. While I was at it, I tried on some odd sale items which came to hand. I'm a firm believer in trying things on whenever possible (was very slow to start buying clothes online).
It occurred to me anew just how much clothing there is out there. Much of it is thanks to China, which I don't mean as a put-down. Every country that starts out as a junk-meister ends up producing better stuff later on: Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Brazil, Taiwan and so forth. China is already producing nicer clothes. And they're adding their own touch, in the silk blends being made.
It's...a glut. And so, when I tried on two really nice sweaters, which so worked on me, and were but $25 apiece...I turned them both down. I have sweaters. I don't need sweaters. What I need are shoes (one or two pairs), boots (one pair), and a fall/winter skirt. And a camisole, which I bought.
The prices are painfully low right now, and the supply is bounteous, by anyone's measure, some of the stores were packed...that's the best time to shop, when it's something you need, and simultaneously the best time to say no. Because there are better items out there, perhaps with a higher price tag, but definitely better. You could end up with tons and tons of so-so clothes, otherwise.
My guide is as follows:
- The cost per wear should be factored into the cost of the item. Where are you going to wear it? How often? What does it go with? In short--what are you going to do with it?
- The cost of cleaning should be factored into the cost of the item. Must you dryclean it? Must you hand-wash it? Your time has a monetary value too. If it can be machine-washed, that's easily worth $40-$50, conservatively. If it can be tumble-dried, so much the better (I prefer line-drying myself, but we get a rainy season). Ironing is a factor. I try to keep a balance between clothes which need ironing and those which don't.
- If it's a cheap piece of crap that falls apart before the earth can make it around the sun, the cost of replacing it is a factor: gas, time, wear and tear on your car, et cetera.
- If it's trendy, don't buy it. I mean styles do change...say, there are lots of 3/4-sleeved shirts and sweaters on the market now. I happen to like them, since they're great for bracelets, and there is a cheapskate factor of stretching the seasonal wearability...you can don them when long sleeves would be too hot, or short sleeves too cold...but if you hate them, don't buy them. If you're one of those people who won't wear them when the "fashion" changes, don't buy many. I could give a hang, myself, so I'm planning to buy some for bracelet days.
- And, finally, don't give yourself a headache over it. Sometimes, something will fly in the face of all rules, yet will be perfect for you. So buy it, and enjoy it without qualm.
Labels: wardrobe
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Wardrobe: Supima redux
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-27
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Jeesh, where have I been? There is Supima cotton aplenty.
The above are from LL Bean; actually they don't make it that easy to find their Supima items (I searched for pima and opened each one). They don't seem to carry Supima sweaters, but do feature a wider variety of tee shirt styles than Land's End, with a broader range of colors.
The Supima organization has been around for quite a while (founded 1954), and I can't help wondering whether items I'd bought long ago, and had marvelled at their ability to withstand wash after wash, hadn't been made of this stuff, or fiber of a comparable grade. I knew it was the fiber itself--not brand, nor workmanship, nor weave. Hence the quest to identify the fiber.Labels: supima cotton, wardrobe
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Wardrobe: Supima cotton overload
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-25
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I hesitated somewhat before selecting the topic of this post. After all, what could be more commonplace than a plain cotton tee shirt? Any point in blogging about one?
It's well to recall such a creature was once almost absurdly difficult to find. There was even a passage in Cheap Chic--a 1970's wardrobe bible, the first place I read about such concepts as Cost Per Wear--detailing exactly such a quest. The author went shopping in a major city for a plain, long-sleeved, solid-colored, 100% cotton tee shirt.
She ended up discovering a lone model at a store called Jax (Jaxx?). The shirt cost $12, which would be akin to paying $30 now for a plain tee shirt. Not through the roof, exactly, but high for what it is.
The author concluded, given the shirt was what she was looking for and came in a rainbow of colors, and given she couldn't find it anywhere else at a better price, $12 for the shirt was acceptable.
Tee shirts in those days...and for a long time, were synthetic or at best a blend. Typically they had a design or slogan printed on them. You could find plain ones, but those tended to be boxy men's tee shirts, where you had to snip out the neck or roll up the sleeves to feminize the look.
Now, of course, if you throw a rock, you'll hit a fitted, 100% cotton, non-embellished, decent-enough tee shirt. So now the challenge is rather finding one that won't fall apart after a year, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and doesn't look hopelessly conservative.
For sheer spectral color selection, I defer to American Apparel (American-made shirts rather than American-grown cotton). Yet, apart from their unisex pieces, American Apparel is a juniors' sizing store. Not the place I'd go for basic pieces, in the main.
I stumbled across a cache of Supima cotton items on the Land's End site. Okay, I was searching specifically for Supima cotton on the Land's End site. I'm intrigued by the claim it wears better than non-licensed cotton.
At first everything looked...way square. Land's End used to have much nicer things, and now it's rather a J.C. Penney-looking site. Yet, what if there is something to it? I'll be interested to try some Supima from them.Labels: supima cotton, wardrobe
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Wardrobe: outfit composition
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-20
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Here's, ah, why I never "shop by outfit." I wouldn't care to buy either the top or the skirt (the shoes, maybe, even though I need warmer shoes than that now).
It's not that I have anything against the outfit per se. In fact it's one of the nicest outfits I've seen in a long time--on the model, and in the context of it being a photo shoot.
The sweater is one of those lambswool/angora/nylon blends that calls for hand washing and drying flat--not practical for me (on the site it says to dryclean it). Likewise, the skirt is silk--dryclean only, with a spate of ruffles which would make cleaning it any other way time-consuming (if not disastrous).
Yet...I love this picture, because the composition of the outfit is perfect. A light yellow top is ideal for blonde hair; one of the best colors. The top is sufficiently pale to pair with black and not get a bumblebee look. A black skirt with nude legs and black shoes: simple, classic, terrific.
Outfit composition imo cannot be over-emphasized. Individual items are great, but it's the total package that makes the impression. If you plugged in some way more expensive shoes here, would the outfit look better? Probably not, except to the few people who know the price of the shoes. Most people don't. It's art. If every element in the painting works, who cares how much that Prussian blue pigment cost down at the art store?Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Wardrobe development, continued
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-15
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
May I firstly declare, in writing, upon this day of September 15, 2008, that I am, have always been, and will always be, a confirmed cheapskate.
That does not mean I'm averse to spending money, and sometimes large amounts of it. A low price does not mean a better bargain. Please do not confuse these terms.
A minor example would be the Nars eyeshadow duos previously mentioned. They're $32 a pop now, I think. You can buy eyeshadow duos at Target or drugstores for far less than that.
The thing is this. The Nars duos work. I don't need to shop for eyeshadow; I haven't for years. Other shadows, including MAC and Urban Decay, can turn hard in the pan after a year, to the point they must be discarded.
But it's more than that. The Nars shadows look good...better than Dior or Lancome. So I need not look at other brands of shadow, wondering what I'm missing.
Time has a monetary value, along with gas and wear and tear on your car. The key is to find your brand of eyeshadow, whatever that may be. I decided up front I'd be willing to pay Dior prices if Dior did what I wanted it to do. Dior is okay. Nars is better.
Ah...so I'm pretty much finished with my current wardrobe development. At my job we don't wear suits, so it's more involved than buying a set of suits. Still, for any job which doesn't require a uniform, you need to develop your work clothes, and it should be individual. Oftentimes individual costs money.
The only things left on my to-buy list are a fall/winter skirt, and better shoes (I'm hoping to fit one pair into this category) and a pair of boots. These are all going to be expensive, but I've planned it out so I don't need to buy any of them right away.
The skirt is surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, depending on the depth of your cynicism) hard to find. I have a plethora of summer skirts--these should be inexpensive, being only lightweight cotton or linen--but the fall skirt, I don't want tons of those, but it has to be good.
I started out looking at this one, from the Sundance catalog:
It has most of the specs--machine wash, cotton velveteen (likely nice and cushy), good length--sisters, I'm almost 43 years old. I don't wear short skirts. This looks as if it wouldn't wrinkle easily, and the design seems flattering and easy to wear. It's also in no way trendy. This skirt could have been made twenty years ago, or could be done twenty years from now.
The sole bugger here is the color. It comes in a lovely red, and this brown. Plugging either into a swatch of my Photoshop wardrobe:
...shows that a nice brown or red skirt is not going to be the most useful color.
They have a green twill skirt:
...where the color is more compatible, but twill is not the material I want.
Leafing through the other skirts on the site, I rejected them all, even though most of them would totally work on me. The object is not whether the piece will work on you. Is this piece going to work on you ten years from now? How many times will you have worn it in that decade?
That's strictly from perusing the website, of course. They are going to open a b & m Sundance locally :D and trying on is believing.Labels: sundance catalog, wardrobe
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Wardrobe ponderings
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-11
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I realize I opine far more about wardrobe than fashion. (Hence the wardrobe label of this blog.)
Fashion is for the young. Sure, I skim fashion articles, finding them harmless and sometimes interesting, but I seldom consider buying anything I see written up as such. I already know what I like. And I feel the strength of fashion lies in crystallizing images, spinning dreams into cloth, for people who haven't yet completely defined what they like.
Does that make sense? In my youth, I adored magazines, and can still recall exact photographs I saw when I was that age. Oh, they had this spread in Seventeen, with this gorgeous brunette wearing a series of black cotton clothes--very unusual and hard to find back then (most likely in the late 70's). I pined for those clothes (or to look like that brunette for that matter).
Now, should I read the same type of feature now, I'd think...hm, where would I wear such clothes? Could I wear them to work? How about the weekend? Would the pieces mix and match with what I already own? How colorfast are these clothes? It's worse than that actually; the truth is, I'd never even get that far. I would think straight off: nice, but not my style.
Well, I finally got two Supima cotton sweaters. (Wrote earlier about Supima cotton here.) So far...they're fabulous. Of course that doesn't mean a whole lot, since I haven't washed them yet, but I feel rather positive about them.
The "cream heather" one (left) I got for my daughter, while the dark navy (right) was for me. (The latter is a men's sweater; thought I'd give it a shot.) These weren't in stock at the b & m stores yet, so we were stuck ordering online, since I had a points certificate with Eddie Bauer.
The ladies' Supima v-neck runs a tad small, and the men's sweater runs large (I had a medium of it originally, based on the site measurements, but I was swimming in it.) So we ended up switching. My daughter looks best in clothes which aren't skintight (she's still growing), and I can always use another incarnation of the White Shirt (it fits more like a shirt than a sweater).Labels: supima cotton, wardrobe
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What I've been into, lately
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-07
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
 Montale eau de parfums
These are still going strong; plenty in the bottles, still smelling divine. I got them October of last year. Knock wood; they've been keeping well.
What I really like is having two of them. I don't wear them exactly the same way, any given consecutive days.
The residual question is how well they'll keep beyond the first year. I've read elsewhere the Montale Aoud line lasts for years, while the (less expensive) regular line doesn't. I'll post back here, ah, a year from now.
Salux Beauty Skin cloth
I picked this up on a whim, almost five months ago, at our local Japanese dollar shop. It seems to have lost just a touch of its scratchiness, but I'm planning to soldier on with it, at least until I detect ingrown hairs on legs or keratosis pilaris on arms (this product excels at prevention of both).
Okay...STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!!! Here is a collage of screenshots from a certain well-known clothing company, whose demographic, apparently, is me.
Everything, from its affable, tea-drinking models, to its weird pricing...they've got decent, yet ordinary shirts for $70, and outstanding chunky cotton sweaters for exactly the same price? to its sheer breadth of design...conservative suits dwell alongside funky-looking prints...to the comfy chairs in the b & m stores for patient daughters and newspaper-reading husbands to sit on, so the wives can go ballistic amongst the neatly-laid-out aisles...everything screams, "This store is just for you!"
Ugh! it's the cheapskate's dilemma. Spend money or... shudders Yet, it's a decent shop. I selected some of their more commercial-looking pictures, because the clothes in real life bear scant resemblance to their online images. Something totally fug on the Net turns out to be...gowns for angels. Something looks great online, is next to a shmatte in actuality. You really have to be there.
I tried on the two sweaters...the ivory-colored one has an interesting sheerness unusual in a sweater. I passed, but barely. It struck me as a skosh too delicate for my needs. The red sweater looks horrible online, as if a madman had assembled it; yet, once I tried it on, I knew I had to have it.
As far as customer service...meh. They don't have the nifty points system other merchants do, and they're parsimonious with coupon codes. I did try their online concierge, and she recommended I sign up for email updates, so I did. Let's see if these guys cut their customers a break once in a while.Labels: montale, perfume, skin, wardrobe, what i've been into lately
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Office clothes for hot weather
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-09-04
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
 Perhaps a slight exaggeration.
It's a bit tricky, figuring out what to wear to work when it's hot. You can't just show up in shorts, right? So you have to be more tactical.
It's well to have a few items on hand specifically for really hot days. You can still use the items when it's cool; just layer a cardigan or shirt on top, or the like. But these hot-weather items are key; they have to be able to work alone, and they can't look too casual--which can be a problem with many otherwise perfectly good summer garments.
I have this and it has served me well:
It's just a sleeveless, thin rayon, cream-colored top. Without the lace detail, it would look too casual for an office setting. I wear a camisole underneath it, but it's so lightweight it hardly matters.
I have a white linen 3/4 sleeve shirt that also works. It has a nifty picot detail which amounts to strategic rows of tiny holes. Again, with a camisole beneath it, you need not worry about the holes being "NSFW."
Airy cotton or linen skirts are pretty easy to find. The cotton ones can be wash-and-wear, particularly those made of gauze, or with a crinkled texture. Skirts or dresses featuring a sheer or lace layer connote coolness as well.
Lessee...I have a light-colored cotton cardigan. It's the color that's key. Anything deeper in color would appear hot, would make me feel hot, yet the light color works psychologically. A longer-sleeved, light-colored garment can feel cooler than a shorter-sleeved dark-colored one.
But I do have a sleeveless black linen dress...the sleeveless-ness, thin linen, and relatively short length make it practical, but the black color makes it seem more formal and office-friendly.Labels: wardrobe
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On washing "dry clean" clothes
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-08-31
at 11:21 AM (Pacific)
It's been a bit of a bugger. Drycleaning is now prohibitively expensive...I was quoted ten dollars for one dress at a local "green" drycleaners. After a paltry few wears, it would become cheaper to buy a new dress.
Some "dry clean" clothes can be hand-washed, but it's at your own risk. Silk can shrink. Some rayon does too, particularly rayon with a matte texture. Wool sweaters are the biggest bugger, since agitating them at all can produce "locking."
Clothing manufacturers have made more of their products hand-washable, that's for sure. Nine years ago, the majority of my office clothes had to be drycleaned. That worked back when drycleaning dresses cost three dollars. You simply took very good care of the dress, and wore something underneath it to stretch out the times you needed to dryclean.
But now...who has the time or money for so much fussing and drycleaning?
I feel strongly, manufacturers should re-engineer more of their clothes--aside from suits, coats and the like--to be hand-washable. You're not going to put drycleaners out of business any more than they already are out of business. They'll still have enough suits, jackets, formal dresses, et cetera.
It's a matter of design. If you know the silk or rayon is going to shrink the first time it meets water, then engineer the garment accordingly.
Basically--accept there is no longer "a wife" to take care of all of this stuff. It's the wife who needs business clothes now, and the wife doesn't actually have a wife (more's the pity).Labels: wardrobe
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The ever-elusive White Shirt
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-08-30
at 9:05 PM (Pacific)
 This one's pretty nice, actually
Been doing some "recession-ista" shopping lately, culling items from the amazing sales out there.
I should say I've been through recessions before. The minute you wish to tighten your belt, the sales become fantastic. It does make sense: people aren't buying, so stores have to recover at least some of their money. I've concluded it's probably the best time to go shopping--but not for frivolous items. Rather, buy higher quality items than you'd normally buy. The prices for these now are the same as, or lower than, the prices for crap.
Since returning to the 9-to-5 culture, after nine years of being a stay at home mom and working as a contractor, I've found myself in a rather continuous search for White Shirts.
By this I don't mean the feminine equivalent of a men's White Shirt. There has been a trend of women trying to create a female version of men's clothes. I'm not knocking it...there are reasons for the development of men's business attire in the first place. Shouldn't women's business wardrobes follow the same reasons?
Yet there's a part of me that wishes women didn't have to present themselves as "men lite" in order to succeed. Women have power, independent of the traditional "man's world" of work, and perhaps it's best we hold on to that power. Both men and women gravitate towards women, in almost any given social situation, which is why women are often better in marketing and sales positions. If we dress a bit too much like men, will it appear we see them as the great role models? If we dress like ourselves, we become our own role models. Maybe men should dress like us. lol
Oh yeah, back to the shirts. I've seen some horrible white shirts out there. And some okay ones. Precious few magnificent White Shirts. Why is that? It's usually much easier to find a nice non-white Shirt.
I'm tempted to believe the White Shirts get scooped up first, but in all likelihood, there's a gap between what the customer wants to buy, and what the customer wants to see. It's always lovely to see lots of color choices in the shop. But in reality, I own a very limited range of shirt colors, and it's the white and off-white ones that get worn first.Labels: wardrobe
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Planning your wardrobe: Photoshop idea
posted by Colleen Shirazi
at 11:43 AM (Pacific)
One thing I like to do in Photoshop, is keep a Photoshop Document (.psd) of various items of clothing which have caught my interest. It's rather the electronic equivalent of a scrapbook. Now that most merchants have a website, it's pretty easy to do.
The idea is not to have a perfect snapshot of your current wardrobe, of course, unless you wish to go to the trouble of photographing all of your items. (Which can be done, but would be time-consuming.) Rather, it's an overview of what you tend to gravitate towards, what you've found "tried and true"--what works for you.
Once it's in psd format, you can add and delete layers, move the layers around, sort of see what looks good with what. And yes, it's fun...harks back to when you were a kid, playing with your paper dolls. If you wanted to be fancy, you could add a full-length picture of yourself, and try to scale the clothing pics to it.
I realize Polyvore has a similar interface, and I'm not knocking Polyvore, but I've found it limiting. You can't control the quality of the images; you're limited to those which still look good after being run through Polyvore's image capture.
I've got some Cydwoq shoes at the bottom; dithered a bit between these and Frye. Cydwoq of course has a much wider selection of shoes (Frye does have some though), and the made-in-the-U.S.A. section of Frye boots tends to be too casual for office wear. More etailers carry Cydwoqs now; there are sporadic instances of Cydwoqs at b & m shops. Really I'd prefer my next, "investment" pair of shoes to be made in the U.S. (Since I'm set for shoes currently, I'm not actually sure when this investment is going to roll around, but I've got my eyes open.)Labels: cydwoq, wardrobe
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Perfumes of the stars, and rambles
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-08-28
at 9:08 PM (Pacific)
Here's a site dedicated to the "perfumes of the stars": Celebrity Fragrance Guide: A Guide to Smelling Famous.
It's occurred to me, one of the most useful items in my wardrobe is...a camisole. Camisoles are seldom lauded as fashion essentials, the way shoes and jackets are, yet a good camisole can make an outfit work; a bad camisole, or no camisole at all, can ruin the entire outfit, just like that.
I own some stretchy ones...the trick is to find ones of sufficiently thick fabric. I don't mean you have to dress like a nun, but the thin see-through stuff defeats the purpose of wearing a camisole. I have a lace one too, of a nice light rayon material.
Yet I sense a "wardrobe hole." I'd like to own at least one more camisole; two would be nice. It's not something I'd drop everything to shop for (seeing as I already own several), but if I happen upon a good one whilst shopping, I'm sure to buy it.
I've never thrown away this sort of thing, until it's totally worn out.Labels: internet, perfume, wardrobe
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How to unshrink a shrunken wool sweater
posted by Colleen Shirazi
2008-08-23
at 6:33 PM (Pacific)
This is something I've been meaning to try for a long time. I had a wool sweater, and some bozo washed it in the machine and dried it in the dryer. It wasn't quite "doll clothes," but was too small to wear, so I put it aside until I had time to play with it.
The thing with wool is--heat causes genuine shrinkage, I think, but agitation causes what only appears to be shrinkage. Similar in concept to dreadlocks, where you have fine natural fiber, with a tendency to knit together and "lock." If the thing is doll clothes, then I say go ahead and toss it, but if it's "only just too small," it's worth a shot trying to stretch it out again.
The idea is to take your sweater and soak it in a mixture of cold water and hair conditioner. For this I got out my trusty L'Oreal Feria Deep Conditioner (you can buy it separately at a beauty supply shop like Sallys). It's what I use on my hair after I color it, so it's heavy duty.
The conditioner won't dissolve in the water, but it'll break up into little chunks. Once the sweater has soaked completely, you can rub the little chunks into the wool, gently (you hardly wish to cause more "locking"), and then stretch the sweater out. Depending on how small the sweater got in the first place, you can be fairly aggressive about stretching it.
So far it seems to be working. You won't get the sweater to its original dimensions, but soaking and conditioning the wool to relax it, then pulling it out area by area...you may get it to the point you can wear it again. (Just don't let other people dry your clothes!)Labels: wardrobe
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