What I Wore: An 80s Sussan handknit with a 90s pashmina

You may laugh at this outfit, but I will wear it again - I like it. 

The cardi

I have had this since high school. 
It came from Sussan and it is a hand knit.
Back then Sussan did proper hand knits.
I fell in love with the colours on a dark base & the pom poms attached to it.
It was $80 and is 100% wool. 
It is made in China.

Its massive but it falls straight down so doesnt create a sausage look from the basque clinging to by thighs. Back then I was much smaller, so I am sure you could have fitted about 5 of me in this. Now you can probably fit about 2 of me in it.

When I saw my Fitted for Work boss in this, the first thing she said was that it looked like those old 80s patterns for handknitted jumpers. I told her it WAS a handknit from the 80s. Yikes! Funny.

Then she reached over & played with the pom poms.
How can anyone not love a knit with coloured pom poms?

Then she lovingly told me it had to go.

Waaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!
No way.

Looking at it, she needs a de-pill - note to self to do this asap.

She had also been attacked by critters a few years ago - on the back, so I darned her up & you'd never know. 

Look at her back.

I had no clue about this stuff back then, but the horizontal colours at the top of the back help to minimise a pear's butt. 
Good move. 

You sure dont see lot of those Woolmark logos on the high street these days.

The top

The trusty old Coles Mix black tee for $6.

The jeans

The Not Your Daughters Jeans in an indigo wash - straight leg. 

The scarf

Remember when pashminas were all the rage in the 90s?

Well I invested in the pashmina market - 2 reds, 2 pinks, 2 blues. I deliberately never bought a black as it was too much dark to have near my face.

I still have them on rotation & I wear them when I want something warm & statement making around my neck.

I grabbed one of the red ones.

Pashminas can be 100% cashmere or they can be a blend of silk/cashmere (usually 35%:65%). Mine are the latter - the 100% were always over $1K and I didnt want to pay that much.

Once they became popular, manufacturers started making them in smaller sizes too - good for petites. 

Unfortunately once they became popular, manufacturers started faking them & placing the "pashima" label on anything furry - like acrylic or even wool.

Pashmina is from a special breed of sheep indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayas in Nepal, Pakistan and 

Northern India.

Authentic pashmina is finer and more expensive than

ordinary cashmere.


Do you recall any press about these? They are so fine that 

you can pull an 100% pashimina through a wedding band - 

that's how fine it is.


I use then as blankets in movies and on long haul flights. 
I drape them down my front to cover a belly & when the weather looks like it may turn nasty.

As far as I am concerned, they are a classic. 

The shoes

Since the cardi was so sloppy, I had to wear a heel.
I wanted to be comfortable so the heel needed to be solid.
Plus pom poms were in order. Naturally.

Enter the Jimmy Choos from ebayland for $80 plus shipping.
In dark navy with a stacked high heel and a rounded toe (but not too rounded).

I was so slack today that I didnt bother with jewellery - anything around the neck or wrists would have been hidden under the pashmina. But I should have put some rings on as I felt naked all day. Oops.

See you tomorrow when i wear a furry jacket with furry trim.