Amiable's Blog

I wanted to copy Shannon's look yesterday, but couldn't find my mesh-sleeved sweater.  (It turns out that I left it at my in-laws a few weeks ago when my littlest fell, got a bloody mouth, and I changed shirts super quick to not get blood on the white one).

So I wore this instead.  It's the same color scheme, just not a mesh sweater.
 
I met a good friend at a coffeehouse for a very therapeutic (and long) chat.  I feel so much more human now!

Today, I started with jeans and a tee - with bookending belt and shoes.  But I decided the tee was frumpy, relegated all of my winter tees to either layering or loungewear, and wore a sweater the rest of the day.  But I didn't take a new pic...

I had a few small windows of time and a sewing machine with me at the wedding last weekend, so I made myself a quick little tube skirt.  It's a black/white doubleknit houndstooth (with a little "noise" in the knit, so that it reads closer to black/gray).

Paired today with my cobalt shirt from Susie.  What do you think?  

Also, what's the color like on me?  I'd like to think the cobalt is a good color for me (and I'm wearing nothing on my face, btw), but I feel washed out in these pics....  (maybe the cobalt has just a touch of gray in it?)

ETA: It stopped raining, so I stepped outside and took a head shot in the brighter light.  Now I think the color is fine on me (I also added tinted lip balm) - so it was just the bad lighting making me washed out.  Do you agree - is this color actually fine on me?  

Today was pear-picking day (the last crop to harvest, I think!)  I decided to give this flannel plaid one last chance before purging it.  It's too short to be a jacket, but it seemed to me to work pretty well tucked today.  What do you think, does it earn it's keep?  (It's a boy's size, and unlike most button-down shirts, it's long enough to stay tucked in.  I think I'll be visiting the boys department for more tuck-in button-downs).

For evening activities, I decided to go more refined and switched to a black belt and shoes, and a colorblocked top.  But I think the sag of the boyfriends kind of ruins the refinement of the look :(  

(Also showing a new-to-me bag.  I love the structure and the shape, and am considering painting the stripes white instead of tan.   The black, too, is tired-looking and could use a polish).

I'd love suggestions!  :)

My year-in-retrospective post made me want to break out the colored jeans (red, green, teal and white are my current colors.  I don't think I can justify burgundy with that many other colors, but I wish I could).

So here's the green, just for today.  Paired with a rather large navy shirt - semi-tucked with sleeves rolled to reign in the volume.  White accents in the tee and belt.  I couldn't decide which shoes went with blue and green, so I went with basic black oxford booties - black footwear is "it" for fall, right?

My kids are singing "Happy first day of October" over and over this morning, so I'll pass the celebration on to you - Happy First Day of October!  (I'm not sure yet why it's special, btw).

Oh, and please don't forget that I love suggestions!

My only recent WIW pic - from the bathroom at my sister-in-law's wedding.

I picked up the dress at a rummage sale for a dime, and I'm thrilled with how it fits - I think it'll become a pattern block for me, if I ever make myself a dress.  But I'm not thrilled on the length of the cardi with it.  I think this cardi will be better over trousers.

Bonus family pics.

Okay, I'm done flooding the forum for tonight :)

I've now been on youlookfab for over a year, and taken WIW shots almost daily (though I've managed to miss more days than hit in the past two weeks, I think).  So I thought I'd look back to see if/how I've made progress in developing a style in the past year.

I was disappointed to not really see a whole lot of difference.  I think my eye hasn't been trained to notice these shifts yet?  I'm quite certain that my style has grown up a lot in the past year - I just can't see it!

As I was looking through my year of data, I decided to save off at least one outfit from each month (either that I thought represented my style at the time, or that I especially liked).  Most months, I actually saved off several.

So, here's the timeline, for what it's worth.

1. (September 2012) I don't own this top or jeans anymore (well, I do own the jeans - they got cut off into shorts).  But I still wear this belt and shoes.
2. (October 2012) Don't own these anymore either. But I replaced the jean jacket with a darker one recently, and might still wear a similar combo.
3. (November 2012) I remember loving this when I wore it.  I wouldn't wear it now, though, and I don't know why.  I still wear both the jeans (though I let down the length a bunch) and the jacket).
4. I might still wear something similar to this - no necklace though.
5. First playing around with colorblocking.
6. I still like this outfit.  I wish the sweater was longer, but I haven't purged it yet because I haven't found a better one.
7. (December 2012) An outfit that felt especially like "me".  This formula still feels especially like me.
8. A new-to-me color combo, that I love now.  Wish these trousers still fit.
9. (January 2013) First attempted pattern mixing.
10. (February 2013) First "killer" rating.
11. Still one of my favorite outfits of the year.
12. My red jeans really cheered up the gray winter last year.
13. (March 2013) I keep wondering if I'll be into colored jeans this ywinter -  Is it clownish?
14. My white jeans were maybe my most-worn item of the last year.  
15. (April 2013) My Easter outfit - and first playing with soft colors that are normally pretty difficult for me.
16. (May 2013) A favorite
17. The same without a jacket.
18. Yes, those white jeans rock.
19. (June 2013) And even more white jeans.  It wasn't warm yet in June.
20. My normal summer uniform.
21. (July 2013) My only summer "killer" rating.  I liked these clams a lot - too bad that after only a couple of months wear and tear, they're wearing out.  I'm watching for a replacement.
22. Independance Day.
23. Soft colors gain - not sure they work for me, but I remember liking this outfit - and it's my first summertime white jeans outfit.
24. (August 2013) Orange and white - I like the combo.  
25. I felt very ladylike in this.  I need to come up with more ways to style this skirt.
26. (September 2013) White jeans in the fall (or at least not-so-blistering summer).
27. The only skirt in my favorites mix.  Hmm... I really am a pants girl.
28. I'm looking forward to wearing this shirt a lot this winter.
29. (ETA) Just realized that I don't have any boyfriend jeans on this list.  Since they're a current favorite, I'm adding one with them :)

And a few thoughts about it:  

• I think I'm becoming more minimal - the necklaces and most of the jewelry seem too much to me now.  I know I'll add more scarves as it cools off though.
• Most of my favorites don't fit in my "happy tomboy" moniker.  Or do they?  They don't seem to to me - my looks here are more polished.  I wonder if the "happy tomboy" thing is taking me backwards instead of forwards?  Is it okay to go in style circles?
• I really like my white jeans.  But they're also definitely not "tomboy" - at least not in the way I think of tomboy.  Tomboys have more dirt than that.  Anyone want to convince me that tomboys can wear white jeans?  Or come up with a description that will fit better?
• Then again, white jeans really aren't that practical for my lifestyle, as much as I love them.
• I scarcely repeated an outfit all year.  For some reason, photographing it made me lose interest in that particular combination - I almost always tweaked something next time I wore it.  That seems dangerous to me.  Is it normal?

Okay, I'll stop rambling now.  I've taken way too much space.  Thanks for humoring me, and if you actually read it, you're a saint!