Amiable's Blog

I'm considering sewing a dress to wear to my cousins summer wedding in, ulp, a couple of weeks.  (In Los Angeles - any tips for road tripping for 22 hours with five kids?)

Here's two options that I'm considering.  I'd make it out of jersey knit (probably red or blue solid).  Do either of these look like they'd work on my body and for a casual wedding?

(If I did the twist dress, shown in purple here, I'd probably opt for sleeveless).

I have plenty of other dress patterns - I just haven't looked through them yet to see what they are, and what fabric I have that would work for them....  So if neither of these look right, I'll keep looking.  

The change of the seasons, and some wonderful threads here today are spurning my own naval gazing for a moment.  My style has changed a lot this past season, thanks to your encouragement and suggestions.  I've discovered color, I know how to tell whether my clothes fit, and I've experimented a lot.

However, all winter long, I've been enjoying this wonderful world of bright colors on this island of YLF. Any time I've ventured out in public, I've been well-hidden inside my below-knee-length puffer, which is brown.  Now that the time to ditch the coat is approaching, I feel really unsure of myself in bright colors.  Yes, I love them, but am I really ready to go into public with them?  Will people think I'm weird? (As if they don't already, I know.  It's hard not to be weird when you walk around with five kids).  Do I really have the personality to wear such attention-getting clothes?  I'm NOT dramatic in real life (or at least, I try not to act dramatic... I try to be very laid back).

That to say, I have no idea where my style is going.  I don't know who I am style-wise, nor who I want to be, nor where I'm going.  Somehow I'm okay with this not knowing when I can hide behind a brown coat.  But now my experimentation will be in front of the entire world.  It makes me want to retreat and hide in safe little frump-ville.

Okay.  Enough for tonight.  If you actually read this, you're a saint.  This is just me, musing at a keyboard.  

Do you ever second-guess your style?  Does your public style and your ylf style differ?  Or your public and private style?

I think I'm falling in love with my LBD (first worn "for real" Wednesday of this challenge).  Here's the ways that I've tried it on - I ended up with #6 to go out Wednesday evening.

What do you think?  Which of these work the best?  Should it be in my regular rotation?  Is it too wintry with the sleeves and the tights?

Okay, this question is really about shapes and proportions.  On top is the required conference shirt.  I'm supposed to wear it with Chinos, but have permission to wear it with anything that's reasonably business-casual.  Even the white jeans.

#1 bootleg black
#2 Gray pleated baggy slouchy tapered pants (enough adjectives?) Tucked in.
#3 Gray pants from #2, untucked - is the shape or the pants too unconventional?
#4 Lighter gray wide-let pants
#5 Skinny black
#6 Skirt, tucked in (see? I look weird in skirts...)
#7 Skirt, untucked
#8 Navy chinos - the recommended wear
#9 White jeans - probably too casual, as much as I love them.

ETA: #10, a smaller size shirt, with an undershirt and the chinos. Would this combo be better than the larger-size shirt that's a bit longer?

Questions: Which ones look the best proportionally and shape-wise?  I can't do anything about the shirt or it's length, but I could add a topper, as long as said topper doesn't cover the logo.

I'd like to think that with long underwear, I'll be able to go without a topper, but I'll probably take a topper along just in case.  Something that "coordinates", since none of these have "matching" toppers.  

Thanks for your input and patience - I know it's boring.

I know it's kind of silly to ask what to wear for a conference.  After all, the top is dictated. Still, I'd like your input on the bottom half, proportions, and how to deal with the potentially frigid A/C.  

Most of the populace will be men in polos and khakis.  (Or button-up shirts over their khakis).  Even the people selling things tend to dress fairly casual.  Some booths will have "attention-getting" dress (see pic #1 - the sales force of a company that will be there).  I don't want to look like them, but a little sass is okay (or something easy-to-remember visually).

Also, this is the one time of the year that my co-workers and I work face-to-face, so my manager and the other's entire visual and personal opinions of me are formed at this conference.  So I want to look competent and professional.

So here's some ideas.  I'm guessing that the black long pants are fine, right? What do you think of the white?  And the black skinnies?  Are skinnies professional?  Are the gray frumpy?  It's a three-day conference, so I need three options.  I also have some navy chinos that problably could work, and I'm working on a pair of pleated charcoal tapered pants that if I get finished would work too...

I'll probably take along a black cardigan (or maybe my moto!), and/or a blazer too....

So yeah - which of these work?  What else should I try?  I'll be posting later with "evening" ideas  - there's two social evening functions where the work-shirt won't be required (though most people still wear theirs to id their company.  I'm thinking that I'll have my conference nametag, so I can wear something else, right?)

ETA:
The pants options: Black wide-leg (#2), white jeans (#3), gray wide-leg (#4), black skinnies (#5).  
The shoe options: Black booties, black peep-toe pumps, black/white saddle shoes.  I'm not sure what others I have that would be comfy enough for the 12-16 hours on your feet days.

Sorry for forum hogging.  I'll post all my WIWs to these great events in a single thread after they're past :)

A good friend of ours is taking my husband and me to "The Lion King" (musical) in an upscale theater tonight.  I was told "wear a dress or a skirt, but not super formal".

Here's my ideas. 

What do you think?

#1 Orange with floral blazer
#2 Navy with floral blazer
#3 Black with houndstooth
#4 Snake print
#5 Inspired by Angie's 'Happy Skirt'
#6 Inspired by Diana's rendition of Angie's Happy skirt
#7 Dark floral

I bought this floral blazer at the thrift store last weekend, thinking it would be so much fun to wear for Easter.

But I'm having a hard time styling it.  Googling "how to wear a floral blazer", and "floral blazer site:youlookfab.com" gave me some ideas, which I've copied in the pics below.  Do any of these work?  How should I wear this?

(Considerations:  I'll be up and down from a stage a lot, so I need to move easily.  I'll also be sitting on the stage with my knees facing the audience, but behind a row of singers, so nearly invisible there.  Still, it make shirt skirts pretty precarious).  The room will be well lit, but there won't be spotlights on me.

#1 A bright column of color (too glaring, impractical, but sure does pop)
#2 - #3 A column of dark (navy, in this case, and I could sub slacks for the dark jeans, but actually think the dark jeans look dressier)
#4 Dark bottoms, light top.  This one is lace, and probably a bit distracting with the blazer.
#5 Mid-tone (olive) bottoms, light top.
#6 Was intended to be mid-tones, but the peacock is a bit bright - olive bottoms.
#7 light bottoms, dark top.  I feel like the white bottoms are too bright for the blazer and make it look dirty.
#8 column of white - see how the blazer is more pearly - almost gray, next to my bleached whites?
 #9 White jeans, gray sweater.  This one almost works to me - does the gray keep the blazer from looking dirty?
#10 White jeans, peacock shirt.  Or maybe separating the two whites is better?

Other options that come to mind: An olive top under the blazer.  Hot pink (but I don't have any - still, I'll probably visit the thrift store today, and maybe I'll find something?

What are your suggestions?  Feel free to tell me to ditch the blazer if I need to.  I have plenty of other clothes and can wear something else for Easter if the blazer just doesn't cut it.

I'm helping out with music for our Good Friday service, and when I asked what was appropriate to wear, they said "just dress normal church, but dark".  "Normal church" is quite casual - dressed up jeans, I'd say, though I usually go a step above that.

I thought it might be a good opportunity to wear my black lace top, but I'm having troubles making it work.  Suggestions?

#1 - #5 Black lace top over a variety of bottoms, with either a black shell underneath or a white long-sleeved tee underneath.  Black trousers would also be an option, but #3 and #4 felt so dark that I was reluctant to make it even more black by taking away the white legs (which will have nude hose if I wear a skirt).  My husbands comment was "It's not a funeral". on #3 and #4.  He felt #2 was a bit more casual than I wanted, and preferred #1 to #5, but wouldn't say whether he actually liked anything (and usually he'll admit to liking something, so that means that he doesn't...)

#6-#7 A black dress with houndstooth jacket.  I'm kinda thinking this is a better choice, but then I'd miss the opportunity to wear the lace top.

Fair warning:  I have three events this weekend, and will probably be obsessing about what to wear to the other two also.  Apologies in advance!

Sorry for my absence from the forum this week. I've been flooded with things that must be done NOW. I've tried to lurk a bit, but mostly failed even at that. It may be next month before I'm back regularly, though I'm trying to keep up on taking pics, so might post them now and then.

Now on to my new top. Funny Story:
A few years ago I went through a "fashion designer" phase, where I designed and sewed up clothes. I entered them in contests and even placed twice. It never occurred to me to actually wear these though. Never. Fast forward to this forum, and I've recently seen Deborah wearing some wonderfully dramatic yet simple, stunning pieces. And I thought - "wow - it's too bad that sort of thing never shows up at thrift stores!", followed by "hey wait - I could sew that!".

So here's my first attempt at a top inspired by Deborah's style. I have a few fit tweaks to make (the shoulders are too wide), and a few style tweaks to make (the high-low hem is too severe - and too short in the front, and maybe too long in the back). But overall, it was a fun experiment, and I'll probably make a second, and even a third or fourth version of this top. (It might take me that many tries to get what I want). I'd like to think that maybe I'll even wear it this summer!

Thanks for the inspiration Deborah!

(And for the curious - this was based on the free Sorbetto pattern from Colette Patterns.)

Rae's "to pixie or not to pixie" thread, and Suz's older thread have me thinking about my hairstyle this evening.

I've had almost everything from very long hair to a very short pixie, and I like them all reasonably well, but have no idea which ones look best on me. When I got my current pixie (about a year and a half ago), I decided that for me to "do" short hair meant that I'd have to learn to cut it myself - I simply don't make the time to go have it cut every month (and my hair grows fast - at it shortest, I cut it every two weeks). I've gone in two or three times since to get my overall shape fixed, but for the most part just cut it myself.

But lately I've been missing my shoulder-length layers from a few years ago. I wonder if they suited my face better. Or maybe I wonder if it's easier (I never did anything to it, so yes, it was). I'm not sure I have the right face for a pixie... Maybe I'm just wanting variety?

How do you decide what hairstyle to choose? Here's a bunch of pics of me with various hair lengths. (Also varying over about 20 pounds as I gained and lost weight of carrying five babies). Does anything in particular work better than anything else?

#1-6 are all in the past three years. #7-8 are way back in college (My hair at it's longest, and my first pixie cut), and #9-10 are now.

Thanks for humoring me by looking at these (a trip through memory lane for me) :)

I'd love your thoughts and opinions!