Velvet And Fur And Feather
Posted: January 24, 2022 Filed under: Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: brooch, brown, brown lace-up boots, burnt orange wool jacket, gray, gray sweater, maroon jeans, red, style imitating art 2 Comments
This week’s SIA, inspired by Rembrandt’s portrait of his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, took me some thinking. I have several velvet pieces, but none in this exact color. I don’t have any fur or feather things in my closet either. In the end, I went with this sweater again – the pleats and the pearls remind me of the collar and undershirt of the lady’s dress. For the colors, I chose my trusty maroon corduroy pants (plus, corduroy is kind of similar to velvet too – indeed, in Vietnamese, corduroy is called “striped velvet”) and burnt orange coat, and as a nod to the feather on her hat, I accessorized with my feathery brooch. The final outfit is not as close to the original as I would’ve liked, but I’m happy with it.
Don’t forget to check Terri’s blog on Wednesday to see other outfits inspired by this classic painting!
The Solitary Cyclist
Posted: January 21, 2022 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: belt, brooch, brown, brown wool skirt, gray, gray sweater, maroon heeled oxfords Leave a comment
I was drawn to this sweater because the puff sleeves and long cuffs remind me of those Edwardian cycling sweaters. I love Edwardian fashion, and I am a cyclist, so of course I snapped this up. It isn’t exactly right (the lack of a high neck is quite noticeable), but that couldn’t stop me from pairing it with my Edwardian-inspired wool skirt and titling this post after a Sherlock Holmes story. I’m not quite brave enough for a pair of bloomers though…
Forever Autumn
Posted: January 19, 2022 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: beige, brooch, brown, brown heeled boots, brown plaid pencil skirt, oatmeal mockneck sweater Leave a comment
This is one of those outfits that require no thoughts from me – it just came together, down to the boots and the brooch. Does it look more like a fall outfit than a winter outfit? Yes, but when your closet is filled with brown hues like mine, everyday is autumn, and I’m going to enjoy the cold weather as long as it lasts. However, with the Lunar New Year only two weeks away, it looks like the cold is not going to last long. I don’t know what it is about the lunar calendar, but the weather always corresponds to it much better than it does to the solar calendar. It may only be mid-January, but already it is getting more humid and the trees are putting out new leaves. Ah well. The cold weather has had a good run.
Dapper Cats
Posted: December 20, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black oxfords, black velvet waistcoat, brooch, gray, gray plaid wide-leg pants, white, white scallop collar button-up Leave a comment
I had previously titled a post “Dapper Dog” because I accessorized the outfit in that post with a brooch of a dog wearing a bow tie, so naturally, here, where I’m wearing my cat(s) brooch, the title is inevitable. This waistcoat is one of the velvet ones that I mentioned in last week’s post – initially, I didn’t intend to get a black waistcoat, thinking it is too waitress-y, but after looking around a bit, I realized it is an absolute classic. And it all depends on how you style it anyway, so I’m looking forward to wearing it more.
Why I’m Not A Vintage Style Blogger
Posted: December 1, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: belt, brooch, brown, brown heeled loafers, brown plaid baggy pants, maroon short-sleeve sweater, red 1 Comment
Despite my love for vintage fashion (especially 1940s style), I’ve never called myself a vintage style blogger, mostly because I don’t dress exclusively in vintage style, and because my outfits are far from authentic. I’m not talking about authentic pieces – I mean, if I had an authentic 1940s piece, I would wrap it up in tissue paper and put it away, not wear it! – but rather the whole look. I can achieve the authentic silhouette easily enough, but my hair and makeup can never be up to spec. I don’t care about makeup much, but I’d love to be able to try some simple 1940s hairstyle to elevate my outfits. Unfortunately, my hair is so straight and thin that it refuses to be styled in any way other than “away from face and neck” (seriously, neither bobby pin or hairspray sticks to my hair – even the headscarf look on Monday took me a while, because the scarf kept slipping off), so in the end, I just don’t bother. Ain’t nobody got time for that! I guess I just prefer to keep my hair and makeup minimalistic so my outfits could be more versatile.
14 Shades Of Grey 