Pierrot
Posted: May 5, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black houndstooth scarf, black jeans, black lace-up boots, brooch, green, green jacket, green turtleneck, socks Leave a comment
I’ve mentioned last week that I cannot resist a cute/quirky brooch, and these days, I often build an entire outfit around a brooch. Take this one, for example – I don’t often wear brooches with human shapes/faces (they always strike me as a tiny bit creepy), but this one, in the shape of Pierrot the clown, fits that sweet spot between quirky and vintage that I love. Since the brooch itself is so attention-grabbing, I kept the rest of the outfit simple, using the little green gem on the brooch as a starting point and matching that to my jacket, sweater, and even socks, so the brooch can really shine.
Maybe I should keep an eye out for Harlequin and Columbine brooches as well, to complete the set…
Two Cats
Posted: April 30, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black lace-up boots, brooch, gray, gray cableknit sweater, mustard corduroy pants, white, white scallop collar button-up, yellow 4 Comments
I’ve been trying to cut down on my shopping, since my closet is absolutely bursting and there are things I bought from last year that I haven’t gotten around to wearing yet. But the one thing I cannot resist is a cute brooch, especially if it’s an animal or something vintage-inspired. Take this one, for example: it features cats, a big one and a small one (just like my cats, a mom and a daughter!), and it’s also a chain, meaning I could wear it with my blazers like a watch-chain (a menswear look I’ve always wanted to try), so of course I had to get it. I know, excuses, excuses, but at least it’s just a brooch, it’s not taking up a lot of space (yes, another excuse.)
Anyway, here are some photos of my cats, who don’t look like the brooch much but have the distinct advantage of being real live cats, and therefore, cuter:
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Posted: April 23, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: brooch, brown, brown wool pants, red, red cardigan, saddle shoes, socks 1 Comment
When I first saw this red cardigan, it immediately reminded me of Mr. Rogers’ iconic sweater. Unlike many of my US friends and readers, I didn’t grow up with Mr. Rogers and only heard of him when I went to college in the US. Still, Mr. Rogers was such a major figure in pop culture that I couldn’t help but become familiar with him and admire him for everything he did. So for this outfit, I took some inspiration from the man himself and put together a Mr. Rogers-esque outfit with these pants and shoes. I don’t have a pair of canvas shoes like his, so I made do with my saddles shoes instead, and my cat brooch is a nod to the puppets on his show. Tom Hanks, eat your heart out.
Pencil Skirt
Posted: April 16, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: beige short-sleeve sweater, belt, brooch, brown, brown heeled oxfords, brown plaid pencil skirt Leave a comment
I used to wear the occasional pencil skirt back in LA, but ever since I moved home and started to bike to work, I’d given all of them away. I’ve never been crazy about them anyway – they always come off too “business corporate” for my taste. However, when I saw this skirt in one of my favorite vintage/secondhand online sellers, I was drawn to the kick pleats and the row of buttons (and of course, the brown plaid), so I decided to give pencil skirts another try. It took some getting used to on the bike, but the pleats help a lot in making it easier to move in. It’s too bad that I got it so late and the weather is getting a bit too warm now, but I’m looking forward to wearing it more next fall/winter.
Four Seasons
Posted: April 14, 2021 Filed under: Clothes | Tags: black, black jeans, black turtleneck, brooch, brown, brown chelsea boots, burnt orange wool jacket 1 Comment
Here’s my latest experiment with brooch clustering. It’s the time of transition between winter/spring/summer (because let’s face it, we barely have a spring. Usually it’s just a couple of weeks of horrible humidity before the heat begins), so I thought it would be fun to do a “seasonal” cluster. I was happy to discover that I have all the necessary pieces – the blossoming branch for spring, the bunch of grape for summer, the bird for fall, and the snowflake for winter – and they are all the same color/style too. The rest of the outfit I keep super simple, so the brooches can really shine. All in all, it’s a very cohesive cluster, and probably my favorite so far!
