In-Between Wardrobe

 As autumn approaches I'm feeling slightly wardrobe challenged. It is still too warm for knits and woolens, but summer dresses feel foolish when the leaves are turning and the afternoon light is glinting off the drying corn in that way it does around the start of September. My brain is thinking, "Kilt" but my internal thermostat is thinking, "Menopause." If I wore even the lightest wool right now, I'd surely die. Evenings are another story-by the time I drag Danny out for our evening stroll around the campus, I need a light jacket. Last night I needed my long raincoat to cut the chill. Autumn is definitely coming, but in the daylight hours we're still pretending it is summer. No point wishing the warmth away-we'll have plenty of winter ahead of us.

 I'm having a metallic trousers moment, having bought three pair in the last month. I think these will look lovely with a white cashmere poloneck in the dead of winter, but today I'm wearing them with a nylon blouse I bought forever ago. I'm not sure it is so much a styling trick as a matter of personal taste but I try to balance evening looks (the trousers) with something casual (the blouse and corduroy handbag). that's not to say there isn't room in my style for over-the-top opulence, but not too often. That's more of a holiday look to my mind. You've probably noticed I can't be bothered to do much with my hair-that's not a style decision so much as laziness. Sometimes, I think I should do something with it, but instead I reach for a pair of combs and I'm out the door. That's never going to change, I'm afraid.

Outfit Particulars:
 1980's Kay Unger trousers-Goodwill
Naturalizer shoes-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage blouse-can't remember
Vintage belt-Thrift World
Handbag-Goodwill
Fragrance-Vintage Opium

 This outfit was a challenge to put together as inside the house, the jacket looked to be different hues of brown. Outside, it was a green/grey. You're probably wondering why I selected such a bright green belt...

I do love a good contrast lining. I know it isn't visible enough to bother matching the belt but I am my mother's daughter.

Outfit Particulars:

Vintage 80's skirt-Marshall Field's

Jacket-Goodwill

Vintage Donkenny blouse-Goodwill

Belt-Goodwill

Betsey Johnson purse-Goodwill

Earrings-Italian import shop in the 80's

Brooch-Goodwill

Fragrance-Guerlain Parure (Mmmm, aromatherapy for when everything else in life reeks of misery)

Stockings-K Mart

Clarks shoes-Hand-Me-Ups

I never really had a chance to relax over summer, and now as we're starting the school year I'm feeling more stretched than usual. September is as mad as August, but without all the baking! We'll be taking a short trip to western Nebraska to see the bird migration, so perhaps I can sleep in the car. I'm almost wishing an early winter because once a blizzard comes there isn't much to do but stay home and sleep. I used to love when the pipes froze on the farm-no doing laundry for a couple days. Here, our insulated basement offers no such break. 

 Oh look, another pair of metallic trousers. They're too long with these shoes but I er...had a toe injury. Don't worry, I won't show it to you. I went to Walgreens and bought a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a gel cot thingee for the toe, so I should be okay in my running shoes. Ah, the joys of getting older. For someone with terrible circulation and toes that turn blue in summer I certainly was surprised at the amount of blood. Sorry, oversharing. Anyway, the trousers would probably look better in heels. They're hip huggers, and just a hair too big which has the effect of exaggerating my hips-not necessarily a bad thing, but not what I was going for when I got dressed.

Outfit Particulars:

1970's top-Goodwill

Cache trousers-Goodwill

Sandals-ancient, can't remember

Fragrance-Samsara

 Yeaaah...noooo...maybe...I dunno. I'll give the trousers a second try before donating them.

I'm keeping the top though-damn, I love a good piece of 70's clinging synthetics.

I'm not planting a winter garden this year. Yes, it is nice having spinach and mustard greens in the dead of winter, but it is just as easy to visit the health food store across the street and buy it from the hippies kids that run the place. I like shopping there, it makes me feel like there's some hope for the younger generation. Anyway, I'm scaling back a number of things this year in hopes I can catch a breather though I know realistically, something else will just pop up to fill the time. I've been more or less working 60+ hour workweeks for years, though it might not look it from the outside. I don't regret the decision to homeschool, but I do regret trying to do everything else and homeschool-the day simply never ends. I knew things were getting out of hand when I was running at midnight just to fit in a few miles after everyone was asleep, and didn't need anything from me. I'm not doing that this year. 

 I finally took a few photos of the 30's gown I bought recently. Being a very shiny taffeta with a moire pattern you'll have to forgive the photo quality-I tried my best.

This is the back. You can see the very shiny fabric inside. It looks like a bin bag!

The gown has snaps to fasten it at the side. It is in excellent condition save for the buttons that need to be sewn back on. I haven't tried it on, but it looks like it might fit, although I'd need seriously high heels. The bottom of the gown in a wide fishtail of sorts, so I wouldn't want to hem it and lose the overall line. This might just be packed away as part of the collection, but if I can, I'd like to wear it at least once, if only for a photo. 

Sorry about the photo, but you get the idea. When our weather clears I'll try to get better photos outside-it really is a lovely gown and I'm not doing a good job of showing all the fun bits and bobs.

I'll leave you with a photo of the sun Monday afternoon in Omaha. We're getting some smoke in the air from wildfires in Saskatchewan. Surprisingly, the air quality isn't as bad as it looks, but it must be hellish for people in Canada. Floods. fires...I won't tempt the Universe asking, "What's next?"