Since y’all asked so nicely, here are the three items I picked up on my trip to the mall the other day. Each was $5.
- Extra long, extra wide, white linen pants. LOL. When my hero first saw me in them, he asked me if I was “that old”. (He somehow got the idea that white linen pants = old lady.) I was undaunted. When my daughter first saw me in them, she smiled. Her natural smile. This excursion solidified my inclination toward wider, flowy trousers WITH HEELS (with flats I prefer tapered pants). Since Imogen said my pants should not be the hero, I will need to wear these with an exciting top.
- As long as I’m rambling on about my own personal preferences (aka style idiom), I may as well address skirts too. Here you see that I am a sucker for a groovy print. And sick to death of above the knee skirts. But this one has at least two fatal flaws: one, it’s polyester, and two, full skirts make me feel like a hippo. If I’m going to wear a skirt that makes me feel like a hippo, I might as well save my $5 and borrow one from my lovely daughter (who gets most of hers for $1 at the thrift store and at least half of them I picked out for her when she wasn’t even there).
- The most astonishing thing about this metallic and linen blend jacket was the response of the woman working the counter at the store when I bought it to my question about whether or not I should wear the color. The trouble is it’s very neutral for my complexion, but fabulously flattering to my hair. She was almost shocked that I would even ask; “for $4.97?” she asked incredulously. As if! My new theory about why some people let themselves go is the utter incompetence of the help in stores these days!
Anyway, what are your thoughts? Should I keep any of these items?
I like both the pants and skirt! Especially the pants . . .
You know, it IS really easy to get good skirts at thrift stores. I just got two nice ones today! One is a really smart vintage Pendleton wool skirt in great condition, and the other is a NWT Woolrich black corduroy skirt with interesting bias seaming. Together, they came to $5.50. I haven’t bought a skirt new, even for the wonderful price you got, for a really long time.
If you don’t love them, I’d say to take the skirt and jacket back.
Great job with the skirts, Sheri!
The trouble I’ve had this summer is it hasn’t been hot enough. My unlined cotton sheeting skirts seem like not quite enough clothing. Which makes me think lined linen pants would be just right. Plus I won’t strictly have to shave my legs, although I probably will anyway. 😉
I like it all!
The details on the shirt, the print on the skirt, and the fabric (LINEN!!) of the pants!
Number 1 rule of all clothing – even thrift store purchases – do you love it? If you love it keep it, if you don’t let it go. You’ll only wear what you love – the rest sits and rots in your closet instead of blessing someone else that might suit it better. I’ve heard you say two things 1) the skirt is polyester and you don’t care for that fabric, 2) You don’t think the jacket flatters your skin tone although you do think it looks smashing with your hair — sooooo do you really love these items or are they destined to be ‘great deal’ rotters??
Ok, my 2cents worth.
I think the reason you are wondering about the jacket is that with pale skin, light hair and a light jacket in similar tonings, you’re disappearing – this is not about the colour of the jacket as such because it highlights your hair, it’s about the lack of CONTRAST, do you like the jacket when you wear it with a top under it, say in a pink that flatters your skin, or a colour that flatters your eyes (blue?) If it works with these tops and you like it, keep it, if you still don’t like it or the shape doesn’t work, then take it back.
How stiff is the fabric of the skirt? What made you buy it? What colour tops do you plan to wear with it? My advice is to go with a light colour from the pattern of the skirt and wear that in a more fitted top, otherwise you will look larger. Is the hem length flattering or old lady?
Pants – as they’re light, you need to wear a brighter top or patterend top with them to make the top the hero and the pants the supporting act. If you love the fit and flow, then keep them.
Can we have a photo with you wearing the skirt and pants (though not both at once?
I love the skirt… I think it would look really chic with a crisp white blouse, statement jewellery, and heels.
Mrs MK, shall I ship the skirt and the jacket to you? 😉
Fran, you are absolutely right. Well, I think the problem with the jacket could be easily solved by adding a necklace (either a pink to pull up color in the skin, or dark brown for contrast and to match my eyes, even pearls would provide more contrast). What my daughter doesn’t like about it is the shape when it’s closed, I think because of the stiffness of the fabric, but honestly – I would never wear it open. It looks weird to me to have the snap backs exposed.
One of my disciplines, which I sometimes forget to apply but normally find very helpful, is to calculate my cost per wear as it relates to the item. For separates I like to get a cpw of 25 cents, so I would need to wear each of these items 20 times. Only the white linen pants begin to qualify. I will probably wear them at least twice yet this year, and then ten times per summer over the next two years is very doable. I might wear the skirt once and then hate it, the jacket I could see wearing a half-dozen times. The trouble with the jacket is that it’s possible that if I figured out an outfit I loved it with and wore it a half dozen times, it would then be a favorite. I’ll probably still return it because with the metallic threads it’s itchy.
This is turning into a novel! (I really love you guys!)
Imogen, the other thing about the jacket is that I wouldn’t wear it as a jacket, I would wear it as a top. In other words, I love the shape of the neckline when it’s all snapped up, so I would wear it with a tank under it. But the contrast problem could easily be fixed with jewelry. Funny that you thought my eyes might be blue! They are actually brown.
The fabric of the skirt has no stiffness to it at all. Is that why I hate it? I bought it because a) the print is made up of all colors I wear (other than the hot pink) b) I *heart* paisleys c) the layout of the print is surprisingly flattering and, maybe most insidious of all, d) all summer I haven’t felt like I had the things I needed to get dressed for church on Sundays. I think by the time I tried the skirt on at home it had developed enough static that the drape was no longer flattering. I could wear it with a coral pink top, but I really like Emily’s suggestion. The length is good, at least it doesn’t make my legs look fat. But the fabric is clingy enough that it really doesn’t look good at all.
Bright or patterned top with the pants. Thanks! And I’ll see what I can do about photos. Next week looks to be one of my busiest weeks of the year.
Emily, that’s a good suggestion. And I am going to add a week for accessories on to the end of my makeover calendar. 🙂
Excellent! My Sig. O has been working late the past few weeks so I’ve been to busy taking care of things at home to blog, but I am hoping to catch up and blog along with you. I was thinking that accessorizing, beyond shoes and handbags, would be a major part of my comeback/debut.
: )
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I think we are of similar skin tone. I also wear jackets like you – as the top with only a tank or cami under them, not another top. (Ack, I would die of heatstroke, even in the Winter!) In the photo and on the rack, I’d love the jacket – the cut is really great, and it’s kind of unusual (which I mean in a good way!). However, on? Not so much. It’d swallow me up and leave me looking kind of washed out.
I think for a while I kind of had a similar mind-set as the oh so helpful cashier. I would buy things because they were $4.97, never feeling like I had to love it, because it cost so little to buy! The end result? An entire closet full of nothing I loved or that was terribly flattering. I’m learning slowly and surely to buy staples. Quality pieces that flatter me, and that I love. Guess who I learned that from. 😛