When I got home, exhausted, I was swearing to myself that I wasnt going to photograph anything I wore later that day.
But knowing that readers are depending on you (hahaha) gave me the strength to muster a very basic outfit.
Basic to me means grab a few things within reach rather than go digging for cut or special stuff.
The cardi
Unless its the middle of a hot summer, I never leave the house without a topper. Usually its a jacket, but for a more relaxed feel, I'll grab a cardigan.
Poking around in my cotton sweater drawers, I found this cotton girl. She is about 18 years old and from the Adrienne Vittadini brand, when they had a store in Double Bay, called Pappouci Imports ("papoucci" is Greek for shoes & the business was owned by a very classy minimalist lady called Tina). Its 100% cotton & hand washable.
TIP: Never dry clean pale natural fibres in silk or cotton, unless you absolutely have to. The chemicals in the dry cleaning solvents will turn their colour grey over time. Hand wash in wool wash or shampoo & roll in a towel to soak out the excess moisture. Then lay flat to dry.
I paid a bomb for this cardi and wore it lots - the fact that I can still wear it today is pretty good going IMO.
Notice it is a mixed pattern knit? I was ahead of my time.
I love it when the garment has already done the print mixing for you - this tends to be a designer trait as it takes more effort & cost to design, construct an all inclusive mixed print.
Notice it also has windowpane checks which I adore.
The challenge here is that I have gained weight since I bought it & as it was a short cardi to start with, I needed to find a top which would elongate my body (not shorten it even more).
So a relaxed "peplum" came to mind.....having the tee peek out about 7 cm under it, created length in my torso.....
The top
The red tee was from Kmart but I cut the basque on the sleeves and the collar, as well as the hem, so that they expose raw edges & roll up naturally. It gives it a more relaxed feel.
Be careful when you do this, as you lose fabric. What I noticed was that losing fabric around the collar turns a crew neck into a boat neck. So I had to wear a bra with nice straps as they were on show!
As it is close to my face, it goes without saying that it is the right shade of red for me - a bluey red, not an orangey red.
The jeans
The easiest bottom by far is my jeans.
The only jeans I wear are Not Your Daughters Jeans.
They have the best slimming properties AND are the only brand I have ever found with a high rise which doesnt make them look like a 70s piece.
I grabbed the ones closest to me on the chair, no thought required.
Notice they are not skinnies, but straight cut. That's because my problem area is my thighs......
TIP: For a pear shape, skinny jeans will emphasize the curve around the hips/thigh because the ankle is so much narrower than that part. So for a pear, it is often better to go for a straight cut, rather than a skinny cut jean.
When you dont have lot of time, bling is usually the thing you skip on...I decided to just grab one bold piece....this Max Mara "grape" necklace.
Paid a bomb for it from the MM boutique in Chifley, Sydney. Its heavy as. The balls are brushed matt silver colour (which is a base metal) and the length is adjustible.
The "grapes" (as someone called it) further feeds my addiction to jewellery which had lots of circles or balls. I seriously love it.
Arm party
My usual Bottega intercaccio ring as well as its 3 sisters, also in beaten intercaccio silver. I bought the siblings on ebay for $300, including the box, card etc. Definitely a favourite.
The bangle is a Hermes, in a burgendy red, bought from the store and well worn and loved.
The shoes
I wore the navy Tod's patent loafers, which cost a bomb at DJs but I have worn them to death.
In theory, the shoe alternative was a pair of red moccasin loafers.
But I normally dont wear two pops of colour which are far way from each other (eg: bag & shoes, or bangles & shoes, or top & shoes). I just find its too disjointed that way.
If I wear two pops of a colour, I prefer them to be close together, eg: bangles & a bag, or a necklace & bangles, or a bag and bangles.
So once again I stick to my usual keeping my shoes neutral or following the colour of the hem.
The moral of this post
Its a fact that most people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. This certainly applies to me as I have alot of clothes/accessories. ie: My problem isnt that the styles I buy are inappropriate (they arent)...its that I have so many pieces in similar styles, that I forget to rotate.....
Taking these photos is making me pull out & wear things in that other 80% of my wardrobe.
