Amiable's Blog

I took a sanity day off yesterday, and met up with WordLily (Hannah) to hit several GoodWill stores.

We had a blast, and completely forgot to take a picture to prove to you all that we were together.

When I saw these trousers, I pointed them out to her, telling her that her husband would approve.  We agreed that I should really try them on. The rest may as well be history.  They came home with me, and I had to wear them right away.  

I've decided that they're "retro futurism", and thus fit with current trends. We had a lot of laughs about how if I paired these with anything other than solid black (or maybe white), it would go gaudy so very quickly.  We also agreed that these don't exactly make one's hips and thighs look smaller.  I'm fine with that.

My kids said "Wow Mom, those pants are sooo cool!", and "I wish I had pants like that".

So what do you think - should  I wear these out of the house?  I have to admit, the happiness factor is pretty high :)

I'm really copying others on this second day of the Seasons and Nature Challenge.  I loved the pairing of olive and blue based on this photo that several of you have already done, and decided to just copy it.

This is my "down to nature" look - unkempt hair, no belt (which I really do need), and barefoot.  But it's how I spent the day, and it's a "nature" challenge, so it fits, right?

(I also reversed the top and bottom of the photo, to be suitable for the warm weather and the clothes that I know where they are....)

I joined this forum, it must be three years ago, for help deciding what to wear for a work conference at which I was scheduled to speak.

And I've asked you all for help for every conference speaking engagement I've had since.

So, in keeping with tradition - I'm speaking at my normal fall conference this week.  I have work shirts from the spring conference that I'm not required to wear, but it's somewhat expected that I do (besides that most of my other clothes are still packed from moving).

The conference is three days, but I'm only required to go to two of them, so I may or may not attend the third.  I need at least two solid outfits.  I'm speaking the second day, which means that the first impressions outfit will be different from the speaking outfit.

 I have three possibilities for trousers (light gray, dark gray and black) and two colors of shirts (black and white - but I own two of the black). Here's what I've managed to come up with as possibilities so far.

#1 - black work shirt, dark gray trousers, cognac belt, shoes and jacket.
#2 - same as #1, but with a white work shirt that just seems glaringly bright to me.
#3 - black work shirt with light gray trousers - belt and shoes also black.
#4 - column of black with a white jacket.

New options:

#5 - Narrower black pants with black top (white belt and jacket, black shoes).  I like these better than the black pants in #4, which feel too big to me.  These are also big, but less obviously so, to me.

#6  -Same as #5, without jacket

#7 - Cropped navy trousers, with high-shaft beetle booties, so that I can wear socks.  This looks strange, right?

#8 - Same as #7, but removed the socks and put on the more comfy shoes.  It's summer, maybe I can get away with showing my ankles?  I'm nervous about the frigid A/C, but it's quite warm outside (almost 90F).

#9 - same as #8, removed the white belt.  I'd add a black belt for low contrast.

#10 - same as #9, but with navy ankle pants rolled.

#11 - Navy jeans with black shirt (they're a dressier fabrication than most denim, and would be dressy enough - this is construction industry and Nebraska).

#12 - Navy jeans with white shirt.  I'd add a black belt, or maybe a white one.

#13 - As long as I'm considering bare ankles, why not culottes?  I have a pair of silk long underwear under these, and they were very warm for this try-on.  (Still no guarantee that my ankles wouldn't freeze, but the rest of me wouldn't).

#14 - Culottes with black shirt.

#15 - added the white jacket.  There's no belt loops for me to add a white belt, and I'm not sure the jacket goes by itself.

#16 - totally bare legs and knees.  I think I'd freeze.  And it's not seasonally appropriate to add thermal tights to it, so I doubt this one will happen (besides that the proportions are off, aren't they?)

All of these are dressy enough - that's not a real concern for me.  My real care is to look competent and be comfortable.

What would you suggest?  (Do you see a combo that I'm missing?  I don't think I can get away with a skirt or ankle pants because they keep it 65* in there, and I'll freeze to death).

My current thoughts are to wear #5-6 one day, and either navy trousers, navy ankle pants or culottes the other... I'm not sure.  What do you think now?

This is a pretty lateral interpretation, I know.  But I love the photo of the poppy field, and the nostalgia that poppies invoke.  I didn't realize until I googled it that to associate poppies with "remembering" was an Australian thing.  I have no idea where I got it.  Here's the Google statement:

The Red Poppy has special significance for Australians. Worn on Remembrance Day (11 November) each year, the red poppies were among the first to flower in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium in the First World War.

Anyway, because of Poppies and Rememberance, I decided to wear  a shirt that has special significance to me.  I spent the summer of 1999 in Cameroon, West Africa.  I lived with some missionaries just outside a small village for seven weeks.  During that time, the town tailor made this shirt for me as a gift (Actually, I think a different merchant ordered the shirt for me from him, as a gift).  I've kept it since, and even though I rarely wear it, it brings back special memories, and I enjoy keeping it.

So today, for the poppies, I paired my Cameroon shirt with gray jeans that used to be skinnies on me but are now more boy-friend fitting.  And my happiness factor is high!

Thanks Diane for terrific inspiration!