Today, I am “pulling from stock”.
In the character of this first look, I found only these two, the white and the yellow:
(I also have these two; fun, but solidly in the leisure category and several other dresses that fit in other lifestyle segments. I am planning those separately. Later.)
Next, I went through the tote of things in my studio. What might work with some alterations or trim? Both of these are possibilities.
Tomorrow: making shorts + tee + blazer outfits.
Next week: shopping. For at least one dress.
Great looking dresses. For “casual” wear, I often like skirts with some gores or chiffon overlay and I love them to have an elasticized waist or back waist or a yoke – loose fitting around waist. I found 2 this weekend at the thrift store bag sale – both plus sized so I took them in. Both prints. One a multi gore animal/camo print in black and olive tones. I hesitated because wondering whether too cliche for me but when I experimented with putting it with a favorite hawaiian shirt with thick black semi-graphic floral on a non-neon but glowing coral background, I felt amazing. Whoever that “character” is, I’m happy to be her.
The other is also one I wouldn’t normally buy – a linen blend (linen sometimes feels too scratchy to me or can get very saggy looking) in a floral with cream, blush, denim blues and medium brown. I worried I might look as though I were off to bake bread for the commune but I bought it anyway. It has interesting curved seams at each front and back side areas. I briefly thought it would make a good stand away from the body dress with the addition of wide straps but took one look and felt too burly of shoulder and upper arm area for it. So a skirt it remained. Wore it today with a semi-sheer small diamond pattern in medium brown and off white with a banded bottom in a brownish print and a drape front construction. Surprisingly good style for me. (same bag sale)
I’ve been looking at the jackets of mine that I’ve been liking best lately and they seem to have in common that they’re highly structured but the fabric suggests fitted fluidity within that or if in a purely tailored blazer style, then in a beautiful buff yellow silk that “looks” thin, and behaves thin and slightly fluid, even though lined and more formal in construction.
My main item to source is a pair or pairs of shoes. I have one foot with in incipient bunion – prominent but toe is straight. Started feeling painful in the joint. Purged 11 pair of shoes and one pair of boots to date. Many more might possibly follow. If I don’t have an ankle strap or laced shoes (sometimes boots are okay) then foot slides forward and any height of heel tends to cause pressure on the joint. Even some loafer flats are bothering me at times after a period of wear. Grrrr. I read that shoes should have a one inch heel or less. I really enjoy heels of up to 2 inches. And I purely hate the look of round toes. Don’t mind at all looking like having big feet because the non-round toe reaches beyond my foot (held in place by strap). I’d like to find a style I can make peace with only I don’t yet know what that would be that would give me the feeling I want with a skirt or dress. And what IS that feeling? .
Shoes problem. I spent a lot of time reading a podiatrist’s blog on shoes. So what I’ve got right now, because toe is straight, is the inflammation of the bursa over big toe joint. Looks like a bunion but only on its way to becoming. Recommendations are for extremely rigid soled shoes. I don’t even know if that means that you couldn’t flex the front toe *up* either. So I do have 3 pair of sandals with pretty much this, all a little higher than flat but all have support around the ankle. I tried a nifty pair of used italian hiking boots I had picked up at thrift store and worn comfortably, toe not round but sort of beveled. Darned if the “bunion” didn’t start hurting right away from the not boxy *enough* toe box. This idea of restricting yourself to rigid soles so the foot doesn’t move seems kind of Frankensteinish to me, though clearly the 3 pair are my most worn daily shoes anyway.
Fascinating blog, though – even has dress shoes and boots reviewed, often as per condition they don’t aggrevate.
http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com/
What a cool blog! That woman is amazing: a doctor, blogger, AND novelist?!
Idk if I mentioned what I did about shoes: I gave up finding flat leather sandals and bought some perforated white leather flat sling backs at goodwill for $3. They will get me by until styles change.
You did say and I envy you. 😀 I went through almost all the rest of my footwear today and I got a total of 3 large bags worth (footwear’s bulky and fluffs up in the bag 😀 ) I’m down to 18 pair shoes plus a few boots and weather boots. I foresee more purging, though. I did it on the basis of comfort/support only but I did wonder what I was doing with (phony) weathered brown cowboy boots in a sort of engineered (phony) scrunch style. I probably liked the little brass rim just around between toe and sole. 😀 I thought of your/our project and wondered what character I would have to be to have those make any sense in my wardrobe. Couldn’t think of a one. Urban Cowboy (girl) sure seemed farfetched and undesirable. Why didn’t I know that when I bought them?
Lol. Around here, I can imagine being appropriately dressed in western, especially if I go visit my parents and go to the county fair. The trick for me is to imagine what else I could wear to feel like myself in those settings 😉
I totally love this series, and wish I knew enough about theater to do the same with my own wardrobe and character. I guess I shouldn’t feel like I need to know about theater. I do know myself. I should think about my life and how I can portray me through what I wear in each segment of it….
Hmm. I need to go back and reread the beginnings of the series now. I want to do this homework.
You are right about not needing to know theater. For me, what has been helpful is just getting into the mindset of actually getting it done. Sadly, I have to admit to alot more thinking than action when it comes to my own wardrobe! 🙂
Looking forward to seeing what you do!