What to Wear From Barn to Evening

Cider: The Raw Ingredients

2010-09-23T17:49:00.001-07:00

Match with boots in green and red....

Free EcoSwag from EcoStiletto!

2010-06-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

These girls are sweet!

Match the Pac NW Palette -- Men!

2010-06-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Early morning mailboxes doing a patriotic thing.

Denise Sachs is the Jefferson County Guest-Cute of the Day!

2010-06-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Or of the week! Or the month!

She's just too cute. Get that girl a contract.

And Another Moment of Peaceful Beauty....

2010-06-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Match this Kitsap Pallet: Salisbury Point

2010-06-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

I usually feel quite hemmed-in by the Pacific Northwest, but every now and then there are vistas like this that enable me to breathe deeply. What does this image remind you of and what would you wear to greet it?

What Should I Wear to the Prom?

2010-05-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

I just got invited to a prom for 40-and-over! I can hardly wait!
Having worn plenty of floor-length dresses in my formalwear life (as Mrs. Formal Ware, for a number of newspaper events over the years), I would prefer to wear a cocktail dress and show off the last of my legs.
Here are some of my dress options. What do you think?

Kitsap Sign by Side of Road Says, "FREE WORKS GOOD."

2010-05-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

I agree -- free does work good! And here's another giveaway link, this time from EcoStiletto. Sign up for their email newsletter and get a chance at stuff like sustainable shoes.

http://www.ecostiletto.com/index.php?/site/membership/

This info comes my way via Daily Worth, a smarty-pants blog and newsletter deal about women and money$. Really LIKE Daily Worth.

Also at EcoStiletto is this promotion from Lord & Taylor (wish I could type those words in that classic old fountain pen font they have). Buy a cool bag and they donate to help feed a Guatemalan family. Works good!

Bless These People with Your Business

2010-05-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Just heard from my friends at Burkes about Out of Print Clothing. They use the graphics of cool, old books for tee-shirt design. AND they donate a book to a book-poor village with every shirt you buy.

Cool Sweater-Wrap Where?!?

2010-05-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

McBride's Hallmark in Poulsbo Plaza. Really nice, with cool button-detail.

Love it!

2010-05-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Levi's is sponsoring a contest for the best ideas for hanging your clothes out to dry. What a world.

http://www.us.levi.com/care/contest.aspx

Carpool This Look

2010-05-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, I get it. It's art. It is. It's beautiful, sculptural. It is as it should be -- a gift of art for the public eye. But as such, there is probably only one of them, or just a few, and we're probably not meant to wear these few and precious things as we go about our afternoon errands. Carpool and the like. Or maybe we are and maybe the world would be a better place if we did, although I'm not sure how and that's probably a thought to explore in another post. In the meantime, there's this post: Carpool This Look. Make it work for everyday life.

by Juan Hernandez Daels

First of all, I need to think about what's inspiring me here. There is some mystery and drama to this look, something evocative of Theda Bara

or Gloria Swanson

and, although we are all so sick of vampires we could bite ourselves in the neck, Nosferatu

The perfect look for carpool! I feel exactly like he looks every time I drive....

So what's this telling me? Not the Nosferatu part, but these quick ideas.... Oh, I forgot: there's also a touch of Eileen Fisher in that neckwrap --

OMG -- if that's not a hilariously jarring juxtaposition I'm sending my master's degree back in....

So, what do we have so far: classic drama, a bit spooky, and kind of softly beautiful.

There's this to start --

from the nice folks at Fashionbean

but it leaves a bit too much to the imagining.

What about something made of this material:

paired with these stripes:

Or, if you can get away with it, a simple cardigan with the scarf not-so-discretely covering the cleavage....

Yeah, yeah, yeah -- it's a maternity garment. But it's got that great, one-button cut.

So with solid on top, what about long and stripy underneath....

Heck yeah, wear 'em to carpool -- imagine how many dads will start offering to drive.

Of course, I'd finish it all off with rubber boots, or something staunch like these Doc Marten's.

But that's just so I don't get to taking myself too seriously.

What do you think? Can you see yourself in the pick-up line in this?

Lucky Star Girls and the Kingston High Fashion Show

2010-05-19T10:47:00.001-07:00

2010-05-13T20:34:00.001-07:00

Kingston High Fashion Show Update: Just snagged a $50 gift cert from Eloisa in Poulsbo for the auction!

Five Ways to Look Good in the Mud

2010-05-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

1. Wear stuff that washes off easily.
Black rubber boots, slickers. Even leather works if you wipe it down gently and don't mind some character marks. One word: Drover.

Ancestral Collections

2. Try to blend in.
Tan, grey, a rhapsody in brown. Green, if it doesn't look too moldy.

From Fashion Beans.

3. Stand out!
Yellow! Orange! Fuchsia! In your face, mud!

From this awesome blog, Vintage Fringe.

4. Go all Edith Wharton on it.
Or McCabe and Mrs. Miller. We aren't the first generation to live in the mud. In fact, North Americans probably live in less mud than any previous age. I love picking my skirts up to cross a puddle -- ladylike and tough at the same time.

From here.

5. Embrace it!
Wear your mud as a mark of honor -- you earned it, either through barn cleaning, gardening or slogging through a depressing day. I love going into the city with a little bit of earth on me. Feels really dirty in a clean way.....

Match this Kitsap Palette: Maggie's Canoe

2010-05-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Love this pic! Thanks, Queen Mags!

from a St. Pat's Day post here.

Kitsap Etsy Round-up

2010-05-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sooooo, I was going to write an Etsy round-up, but a bunch of buttons in Etsy's Shop Local environment are just plain not working.

So we are done with Etsy for today.

But I did find this:

Mel's Bells Jewelry in Bremerton has a "Giving Back" section of jewelry like this:

Proceeds benefit charity, which is smart and cool and very Pac NW. Fun to see what else Mel's Bells is up to while you're there.

And here's a bit of randomness I've been meaning to feature for a while: TrixyXchange.com has an entire section of arm warmers, including these socks-for-the-arms:

Made to order, with many TrixyXchange styles made in the US.

Alternative Apparel Basics

2010-05-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

I just gorged on Alternative Apparel, 'cause it's May and I'm still freezing and I want a bunch of cute layering pieces.
After I went through checkout, they sent me a coupon for 15% off, which I immediately turned around. Yeah, they got me.
All Alternative Apparel and so much more is available at the Barn-to-Evening General Store, just a click away.
They're making it hard (read: impossible) to get the images from their site, so I'm culling from elsewhere, but it's all AA and available through them or from B-to-E GS.

(The AA model was a lot hipper-looking and not so tartish.)

This awesome 1-button sweater, but in black.

That's Heidi's. Mine's dark brown.

And this isn't the greatest pic ever, but this is a collared, 5-button shirt made out of cotton jersey, which, for me, is a dream come true.

The Cute is Where You Find It

2010-04-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Belt worn by woman behind the counter at the gas station. Yes, those are snuff containers on the counter at right. Yes, they kind of match the colors of her belt.
She also had on some baggy, men's trousers. She looked good.

Hey, Thanks backatch, English Retreads!

2010-04-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

http://www.englishretreads.com/blog/2010/04/hey-thanks/

Ginger on Bainbridge. Lovely, Local Baubles

2010-04-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Match this Kitsap Palette: Wayne's Tractor

2010-04-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

I'm getting into this industrial theme, what with Lady Spring all sprung and pink. Ix-nay on the INK-pay! Give me some hard, penetrating colors.

This from last spring's Clemens-en-August collection. I really, really admire how these guys work. Limited edition, edgy but wearable, and they have no permanent storefront, just a series of openings in art galleries.

Match this Kitsap Palette: Hubcap

2010-04-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Twice now, I've posted Match this Kitsap Palette posts which are heavy on the orange and black. I'm no pumpkin fan.... Okay, um, that's a lie. I'm a huge pumpkin fan. But I guess what I mean to say is, I'm not really a big Halloween fan, so that's not why my eye is drawn to that color combination. But I do love the color orange, and I really appreciate contrast, especially in the spring in the Pac NW, because there are too many muted, lovely-lady, well-behaved colors: twenty-seven shades of green; cloudy, foggy grays; lavender-shmavender up the wazzoo. Enough! Give me something loud and bright and in-your-face. A bright, shining orange hubcap.

BCBG from Fashion Feen.

Kitsap School Shoes

2010-04-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

The elementary school girls of Kitsap County are a bottomless source for design and assembly ideas. Want to wear jeans but seems too drab? Want to wear a tutu but it's too dang cold? The solution is at hand! Wear whatever you want!
Resourceful, practical and lyrical -- totally barn-to-evening.
Here's a collection of recent elementary school shoe sightings.

Life's What's Happening When You're Busy Googling Other Things

2010-04-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

I was researching a favorite label for a blog post and came across English Retreads, who seem to be good folks doing quality work and doing their part morally.
Of course, I love a good bag (my sister is the Queen o' Bags and most of the bags I love have come from her), but I absolutely do not rush out and buy the bag of the moment or the bag of the season or even the bag of the year, and not just because I don't want to spend the sick amount of money these things require but because it bugs me to think that here's a large amount of time, money, cow or polyester, carbon, in short: resources, going into something that does not keep you warm and dry.

But I like what these guys do. These are enduring design values, good economic values, and high environmental values. They get inner tubes from truck stops! Yay, English Retreads.

(And P.S., they have stuff for boys, including some stud-ly bags and belts.)

Green Nod

2010-04-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Maria, at Bachman's Sparrow, was kind enough to give me a Sunshine Award on Friday, thank you VeRY MuCH!
Maria is doing beautiful work, steadily and handsomely combining a love of beautiful things with social and environmental awareness. I'm grateful for her voice and give her blog my highest recommendation.
I got to thinking and decided I'd offer an award of my own to some of my favorite blogs. I'll call it the Green Clean Shirt Off My Back Award, and I'm sending it out to five fun fashion and lifestyle champions I check out daily.

Maria's at the top of my list.

Next comes the lovely Dana's It's My Darlin'. You've probably heard me go on about Dana before. She never over-bills herself, she doesn't go on and on about the latest sales, she just goes about Seattle with her camera capturing street styles. Keep it up, Dana!

It's Sew My Style gets a green nod for her willingness to MaKE stuff, a skill I envy and one which defies consumerism. Even when she's shopping, she's really good at looks-for-less and shop-your-closet styles.

Oh no! I can only choose two more! This is going to be harder than I thought....

Evoluer has a beautiful, uncluttered and accessible layout, but that's not the only reason I check to see what she's up to every day. Her focus is What to Wear on Your Bike, and I just KnOW if I were living in a bike-and-skirt friendly climate, I'd ride mine more often.

And of course, I've got to shout out to the woman who started me on this path, the lovely and talented and willing-to-say-anything Deanna Duke at Crunchy Chicken. I could go on, but I'll let Deanna speak for herself.

Thanks for all your good words, fellow bloggers!

Etsy Kitsap Round-up -- Buy Local without Leaving Your Bed

2010-04-08T07:52:00.001-07:00

Pretty, cozy and pretty-cozy:

from Neferstiemade. Just don't try to pronounce that!

And what's more Kitsap than a pair of Navy trousers?

Find these at Eye Covet Vintage.

Mi Regalo's making classy tote bags in Bremerton:

I'm not much of one for the jewelry, but there's almost no end to Kitsap baubles on Etsy. One that caught my eye: Keep up with the cupcake craze with these ridiculously inexpensive earrings from On Beyond Zebra

Also in the tiny-things department, refrigerator magnets from Lucki Penni.

Match this Kitsap Palette: Clothes by Eloisa in Poulsbo

2010-04-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

Green dress by A to Z, good folks who are designing clothes in our very own Seattle; heathered brown dress by T and A Collection; cream knitted wrap with cool pockets, suitable for barn-to-evening if you wrap those long sleeves around your neck like a scarf while you're mucking out (but you could also put fresh eggs in the pockets!) and lacy vest by Mystree.

Eggs by Raspberry Ridge Farm on Big Valley Road.

I was surprised how affordable these things were at Eloisa, located on Front Street in beautiful downtown Poulsbo.

Barn-to-Evening Goes Bazaar!

2010-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Someday!
Meanwhile, here's Miley Cyrus in a very, very B-to-E get-up. Satiny over-hauls in a debutante length skirt. Doesn't get more Barn-to-Evening than that.

Photo by Peter Lindberg, via Harper's Bazaar, via Talkingmakeup.com

You've Heard of "Country-come-to-Town?"

2010-04-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sister, who lives in town, came to the country!

This is a woman so classy, she makes everything, including the most faux of faux-leather jackets, look good.

Mauve wool sweater, dark green knit skirt with beaded hem, pink knitted tights, socks, nicely scuffed boots, in honor of B-to-E.

Earth Tones, Rugged Fabric and a Touch of Wacky Glamour

2010-04-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Very Barn-to-Evening.

From the Sartorialist, via WonderWool.

Kitsap Palettes

2010-04-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Izumi's purple bike and purple coat.

Plant a Tree with Sport Haus and Chaco

2010-04-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

The boys and I always love shopping at Sport Haus in Poulsbo Village. It is CraMmED with Pac NW styles by good ol' Columbia Sportswear and Prana and the like.
This month (no foolin'!) when you buy a pair of Chaco shoes at Sport Haus, the folks at Chaco will go out and plant a dang tree. So get in there and get you some Chaco kicks!

Souchi Designs for us

2010-04-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

The store, next time your in Portland, 807 NW 23rd Ave., or online here.

Rag and Bone Fall 2010

2010-03-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so plaid is not so springy... but otherwise, these outfits look super for Kitsap-wear. Layer-upon-layer of separates, substantial bootage, menswear inspiration but showing some leg.
The photos are taken from stylist.com with photo credit to Rob Loud.

Match this Kitsap Palette: Indianola Kayaks

2010-03-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

www.tammyswales.com

Keep the Shoulders Warm Also

2010-03-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

My sister has lived in the Pac NW for almost twenty years, more than twice as long as I. She and I have regularly discussed just what parts of us we have to keep warm in order to be comfortable. What I mean is, over these years of drafty and damp, we've discovered that if certain key parts of the bod are protected, then other parts will be cozy even if exposed. For eg: if our ankles are wrapped up, then we don't mind our legs being bare. That's why tights work with boots and a skirt, or why you could even wear a skirt with no tights as long as you have on boots, or legwarmers or a nice pair of socks (and I don't mean Burkenstocks and Uptight Seattelite socks, but something like this). And if the back of the neck is cuddled up and safe from the aforementioned d&d, then you might be able to get away with a sweater rather than a full-blown-coat, because who wants to tote a coat nine months out of the year also?
Now, these sisterly experiments have been helpful but I must confess that I tend to be a lot colder than the sister. (Also, she has become a tri-athlete and is now training for her first half ironman (!!!!) and has hot, sportsbabe blood running through her veins at all times even though she's as slender as a reed. Also.) I need not just a warm neck, but warm shoulders! Also: arms and upper back!
Also, I am no runner. True, I run to Kingston or to Central Market, but that's in the Volvo. And while I'm doing that, I need to look good and keep warm.
To that end, I have three cropped cardigans, the newest of which is pictured at right and is also available on ebay right here (what a world! I googled that shit and up it popped). The tube top available on ebay is overkill, but you wouldn't have to wear them together.
I scored my cardigan without the tube for twelve bucks at Boca Bargains, the Boca Grande (FL) Women's Club's thrift store. It's a bit overwhelming, that place, especially in the high season. Some friends and I stopped to talk and were glared at for blocking traffic, but if you are willing to muscle your way through the sea of elbows, you can find some good stuff.

Match this Pac NW Palette: Poulsbo in the Morning

2010-03-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Cozy, not too heavy and handmade. Check out Etsy.com -- you can even search by locale -- for handmade beautiful stuff and click here for this shaw from Turkey.

Green Staples from Alternative Apparel

2010-03-23T05:35:00.001-07:00

There's no style revolution going on here, but Alternative Apparel is producing hip, eco-friendly fashion staples and making an effort to treat workers well.

Barn-to-Evening on the Road: Spring Training!

2010-03-22T10:42:00.001-07:00

"I see great things in baseball." Walt Whitman

And the best way to see baseball is during spring training. A beautiful day at Charlotte County Stadium, the Twins v the Rays -- and did they ever v!

The human scenery, other than the 40-some-odd young men on the field and in the dugouts, was not so beautiful. How is it we can put a man on the moon and yet not have enough shelf bra tank tops for all the women in America who really need them? Somebody please get this girl a shrug.... And I'm sorry, gentlemen, there's no mistaking you for Francisco Liriano and Joe Mauer. They are the men doing the rigorous and vital work on the field; you are the fat slobs in the stands drinking beer.

The young lady in front of me had a more appropriate way to show her affection: a leather bracelet with baseball-style stitches and the name of the favorite on the front, held together with a baseball bead on the back.

H&M Garden Collection

2010-03-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

A few styles from H&M's new organic fabric collection. Pretty cute, although it'll be four months before we can wear anything this skimpy in the Pac NW. And while I'm sure that, at these prices, there is much to be desired in how workers are compensated, organic fabrics are a step in the right direction. You can see their press release here.

A Soot! Or Boot-andal.... Or Sand-oot....

2010-03-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Keep your ankles warm in spring! Courtesy of The Finerie, First Ave., Seattle.

Barn-to-Evening on the Road: Florida!

2010-03-19T08:40:00.001-07:00

No photograph can capture the beauty of my father and stepmother's spot in Florida. Here's a shot from their top deck. I am so grateful to be here.
Of course, that barn-to-evening outfit that looked so urbane and sleek as I stepped on the plane at midnight at SEATAC (black Tread Air brogans, black Lululemon yoga pants, black cashmere sweater) looked ridiculously out of place at ten a.m. the next day in Fort Myers!

I shipped my Florida clothes via FedEx (and thanks, btw, to Uncle Fred for being the rare Republican to come out in support of our president's business policies), but it's been a bit chilly for Lily and Sweet Chemise these first few days.

There has been a trunk show on the Island that I'll be reporting on shortly, and one vendor smartly brought along a couple of gross of cashmere, merino and alpaca wraps that I bet sold like hotcakes.

Yellow Bird Project Raises It For Haiti

2010-03-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Muse Model Management's lovely Renee is standing tall for Yellow Bird Project and the band TV on the Radio.

Yellow Bird Project is based in Montreal. They work with indie rockers to make and market tee-shirts which are sold to support charity.

http://www.yellowbirdproject.com/products/tv-on-the-radio

Waypoint Sara

2010-03-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

My beautiful friend Sara is the field rep for Waypoint Outdoor -- http://waypointoutdoor.com/ -- which means she gets to run around the countryside and do stuff like ski and 'board and rock climb and basically have fun for a living.

She travels for KEEN http://www.keenfootwear.com/ and Arc'teryx http://www.arcteryx.com/ and a whole bunch of other brands that keep us cozy and looking good in the Pac NW.

Here's her apparel report after a weekend of skiing:

"I'm pleased to announce that I washed my jeans this weekend, so they're a little better than the last time we chatted wardrobe! My top today is:http://www.naturallybambooclothing.com/i

ndex.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=22"

Naturally Bamboo is the life-work of April Johnson Femrite, an awesome, go-get-'em, hardbody who should be out here in the Upper Left Hand Corner with the rest of us.

Friend Sara and follow her adventures here: http://www.facebook.com/waypointroadwarrior?ref=ts

Skirts, Mud and Looking Good

2010-03-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

I love the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 collection. My first thought on seeing those dresses and skirts in the below-the-knee length was "Oooo, sexy!" The very idea of covering something up (!) is sexy!

In the right fabrics, these clothes, especially the skirts, are great for our barn-to-evening conditions. I love a hunk of skirt-cloth to pick up as I pick my way through the muck. Change from barn boots to pumps and you're ready for the market, or for dinner and a movie.

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2010RTW-LVUITTON/

For most of our nine months of dank, I'd choose a sturdy merino wool. Some of the Vuitton skirts were lined, which is a luxury I'm not sure the barn permits -- perhaps too much to keep clean. The wool brushes off clean once the dirt is dry, and when you get it dirty (notice I didn't say "if") you could just think of it as you would a Persian rug or a vintage Pendleton blanket: those aren't stains, they're character marks.

In the winter of 1983, my dad and I drove from Manhattan to Annandale-on-Hudson in a blinding blizzard. I had on a brown wool skirt, yoke-waisted, cut on the bias, and in this same mid-calf length. Plus, it had pockets! Couldn't have wished for a better garment for visiting colleges in a snowstorm.

I probably had on tights, but these days, I prefer cashmere leggings.

True, they bag-out at the knees eventually, and much sooner than you'd like considering what you'll pay for a nice pair, but man, are they cozy.

Here's an image of some Donna Karan cashmere leggings that would set you

back about five hundred dollars, but Victoria's Secret and The Find have more reasonable prices on cashmere-blend leggings.

And up top? In 1983, I probably wore a sweater of my dad's, but I wonder why I felt like I had so much to hide. How about something fitted and low-cut? You can always pile on scarves or shrugs or both....

This dress from Urban Outfitters would make a great top:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=10&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=17596651&parentid=SALE_W&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority,-product.startDate&navCount=21&navAction=jump&color=&pushId=SALE_W&popId=SALE&prepushId=&selectedProductSize=

And so would this bodysuit:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&navAction=jump&id=17653403&search=true&isProduct=true&parentid=SEARCH+RESULTS&color=001

And they're both on sale.

The last time I shopped Urban Outfitters I was not legal to vote, and I find it hard to support a business that does SO much business -- where is all the fabric coming from? And who made it? But check out their sale page. Urban Outfitters won't feel unduly encouraged if you buy at such a deep discount and there's plenty of cute stuff.

And that bodysuit reminds me: I think we in the Pac NW should get a special extension on the wearing of velvet. And especially in Kitsap County. We need as many beautiful fabrics on as many people for as many months as possible. Valentine's Day is about six weeks too early to quit with the warm, cozy, lush fabrics; how about Easter? Or May Day?

Rugged Jewelry

2010-03-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

David Yurman. A barn-to-evening standard. Thanks, Dad!

This Girl Has the Right Idea

2010-03-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

I always check out what Christine's got on. Her style is cheerful, practical and surprisingly up-to-the-moment considering she probably never reads Vogue.

Here she is on a typical school day.

A pink plaid coat with butterscotch and cream details; a Pucci-inspired dress, empire

waist, in a satiny polyester (playground-practical).

The bubbly design of the dress contrasts nicely with the rigor of the plaid, yet the dress and coat are tonally similar. Christine, you've got such an eye! You're going to make a great stylist.

And to bring it all home to the Pac NW, instead of tights, she's wearing jeans and the lastest boot -- not an Ugg, which is so 2008, but a suede, furred boot with a lace up the front.

She's warm, she's layer and yet she looks really cute. Of course, Christine always looks cute.

Poulsbo Style

2010-03-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hey, it could happen.

Handsome, hand-done skirt at Closet Exchange, Poulsbo.

2010-03-10T10:17:00.001-08:00

Cold! Damp!
Brown suede International Concepts trouser.
Grey v-neck J Crew sweater.

What Julie Case is Wearing Today

2010-03-09T13:00:00.001-08:00

"Typically I prefer shopping at boutiques and second-hand stores. I love these "finds," which tend to be more unique than you get in the big stores. But a couple of weeks ago I was walking through the Bon and this blouse caught my eye. I walked by on first pass, but then had to turn around. There was just something about it.
On the mannequin it bloused over a pair of silver leggings. That look was ridiculous on me. Then, I found a pair of stretchy black slacks, with a boot cut. Suddenly, I had an outfit. What I love about it is how the belt cinches the waist, nuzzling my curves without grabbing on like a bareback rider. And, it's sassy."

I Asked Readers: What Did You Wear Today in the Pacific Northwest?

2010-03-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

Rachel writes:

Low rise Paperboy khakis, off-

white cable knit zippered cardigan hoody, light pink Converse Jack Purcell low tops, and a tailored leatherette BCBG blazer

accented with jungle red kid gloves. Three out of five of which were purchased at the Capitol Hill Value Village.

A couple of responders I agree to keep anonymous hit me back.

Anonymous #1:

Today is acceptable, but

only acceptable. I'm wearing a silver hand-me-down shirt, grey blazer and

slacks and the world's most comfortable heels.

Shoes by Born and top by Krizia D.

Anonymous #2 writes:

walking shoes, work-out capri's layered with polar fleece pants, work-out top layered with l/s henley, polar fleece t-neck & down vest with polar fleece hat.
do not mention my name, def. a "Glamour Don't" today!!

Poet Jill Johnson, who normally resides in the San Juan Islands, is wearing spring colors and warm layers in Nebraska:

I'm headed to a Randall Kenan reading at the Center for Great Plains Studies (even though he lives in Chapel Hill) wearing eucalyptus cords, a pale blue and white striped shirt under a foamy green wool sweater interspersed with watercolor hints of that same pale blue. Cowboy boots. sparkly earrings, brown trench. That's how we roll in the Midwest. Nothing matches. No one cares.

It Snowed!

2010-03-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

I kept warm in a pair of Telluride Clothing Company wool trousers and this felted neck-cuff my sister gave me for Christmas.

What did you wear?

Apparel for fence repair and for holding wet puppies

2010-03-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Black rubber boots

Brown corduroy mini-skirt by Anna Sui http://www.annasui.com/

Snug white tee with shelf bra, designer and creator lost to history (via Tacoma Goodwill)

Brown Lululemon fleece with lavender satin ("satin") details http://lululemon.com/

And a plug for Tacoma Goodwill, here? I mean the one in Spanaway, south of Pacific Lutheran University -- there are no hipsters nor fashion mavens shopping in Spanaway, I PROmise. So this Goodwill has the Top o' the Line Goodwill stuff in the area.

Several of these in all colors

2010-03-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.whiteandwarren.com/sale/cashmere-peplum-cardigan.html

http://www.whiteandwarren.com/sale/doubleknit-pencil-skirt.html

and the Cenex boots

Clothes to chase runaway horses in

2010-03-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Brown Marisa Christina cashmere turtleneck.

Tan Old Navy tee.

Brown Skin nightgown with spaghetti straps.

Black rubber boots from Cenex. $16.95

2010-03-04T17:54:00.001-08:00

Audition tomorrow requires camisole.
Got a cute new Prana top from Poulsbo's own Sport Haus! Chocolatey brown with sky blue trim. Break a leg in Prana....

No More Black! And yep, I froze....

2010-03-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

And no matchy-matchy. Makes me want to get that Commes des Garcons jacket back from Rachel....

Top: Orange polkadot I was wearing the day Jack was born.

Skirt: Vinyl graffiti print from Buffalo Exchange in Portland.

Boots: Black Immagini with red stitching, from J. Gilbert Footwear in Seattle http://www.jgilbertfootwear.com/

And socks! Blue with white snowflakes. I'm loving the socks with haute shoes look on the spring runways. That's a PacNW-friendly style!

http://fashiondesigners.instyle.com/collections/photos/runway/dolce-gabbana/fall-2010-runway/results.html?No=13

http://fashiondesigners.instyle.com/collections/photos/runway/prada/fall-2010-runway/results.html?No=1

And my favorite:

http://fashiondesigners.instyle.com/collections/photos/runway/marc-jacobs/fall-2010-runway/results.html?No=38

Pacific Northwest Collection

2010-03-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

I get excited about new clothes in the spring, and especially this year, since I've now spent a year contracted with a modeling agency and thinking more about how I look. I've spent a lot of time lately looking into the home trunk show business.

Originally, I knew about this business model from Doncaster, which was very successful in Memphis. Later, Worth came to town; my stepmother bought me my first real suit from one of the early Worth collections. Why didn't I keep that legacy piece?! Well, yes, I'd be proud to still have it hanging in my closet, but truly, how many opportunities do I have to wear a red linen suit in my Pacific Northwest life? It worked great when I lived in Puerto Rico....

The idea of selling fantastic clothes in my own home is very exciting to me (even if I might choose a storefront), and I love the idea of a whole fashion season that comes direct-to-the-shopper four times a y ear. Just the one label, the consistency of that, how they add pieces based on previous seasons, each season elaborates on the last. Both as a consumer and a marketer I like that you wouldn't be style-toggling between a number of designers; it seems so much more streamlined to have, yes, an abundance of choices, but to have the field just be a little more narrow and inter-related than it is when you walk into a boutique that represents several designers. That seems to carry a lot of authority.

But as excited as I get when I look at http://worthny.com/ and etcetera, at http://www.etcetera.com/ or the others, like Carlisle Collection and Doncaster (although -- see below about the Doncaster model), I have to admit that those beautiful clothes would be a hard sell in my life and the lives of my friends. On the fashion-needs continuum, there's office-to-evening, carpool-to-cocktail and barn-to-evening, and Kitsap County is decidedly in the last category.

So what would a collection have to look like to work here? Two distinct issues come immediately to mind.

First is shoes. Most of the people I live around and to whom I'd love selling clothes, do not work from nine to five, five days a week in clean and heated offices. We are running in and out of our kids' schools, our own yards and barnyards, farmers' markets and grocery stores and, if we're treating ourselves really well, a coffee shop. Also, the occasional ferry. And the car, the car, the car. As much as we hate it, we almost always hear the full two hours of All Things Considered every weekday as we drive around in the car.

So a fashion collection on which we could rely would have to protect our feet and make them fashionable. I've got a pair of black Manolo pumps that Liz Weigel gave me that work for a lot of stuff as long as it isn't raining, but when I was running around North Kitsap today checking out horses boarding facilities, I was in a pair of Dansko clogs. None of the businesses I'm researching offers footwear, and I'm sure they've got a really good reason for that, but I know none of the shoes they show their collections in would work for my life.

The second issue a home fashion collection would have to address is how cold we are. Summer collections are now posted at Worth, Carlisle, Etcetera and Per Se, but we won't be ready for summer clothes for six months, and there are some years I never put the sweaters away. Our ongoing challenge is how to stay warm and look cute. And for me it's not a matter of having a cotton cardigan to put over a sundress. I need layers!

I would love the idea of making a living and helping North Kitsap dress up, but until there's a collection that combines fashionable, legacy-apparel with our beloved Carhartt's lifestyle, how successful would it be?

(*Oh, and here's the note about Doncaster: Why are they selling their clothes online? What consultant wants to compete with that?)

2010-03-03T12:33:00.001-08:00

Top down:
Red, cropped Anthropologie cardigan; black, long-sleeved-teeshirt-like sweater from Ban Repub; black lace tee of unknown origin; black Lulu Lemon pants; pink suede Land's End flats.

The Good Life!

2010-03-02T14:50:00.001-08:00

Here is our handsome Jack and beloved Stormy, kickin' it homeschool style.

The photographer (and mother) wore: rubber boots, Carhartt's, not one but TWO grey, long-sleeved, Banana Republic tees, the fave old-school brown fuzzy sweater.

2010-02-27T11:44:00.001-08:00

Pink suede Land's End flats, charcoal scrunched socks; handmade brown patterned drindl with orange, blue and gold accents; red Gap tank; black Carilyn Vaile v-neck; grey cashmere Land's End cardigan.

Downstairs, upstairs

2010-02-26T13:58:00.001-08:00

Downstairs same as yesterday, with change of underthings; upstairs, my most favorite shirt, a black chiffon (!) open-collared blouse with three-quarter sleeves, by I'vory, over a black Ralph Lauren cashmere tank top.

2010-02-25T16:11:00.001-08:00

Black, pointy toed Bruno Magli pumps, dark blue Diesel denim, blue and gold Michael Stars tee and brown Marisa Cristina cashmere turtleneck. I know, why wear a M Stars tee under a turtleneck? But I know it's there!

2010-02-24T09:42:00.001-08:00

Doc Marten's, black wool J Crew sailor pant, black bcbg max azari tank, blue James Perse tee. Today's activity: selling horses!

What to wear when unwell

2010-02-23T12:52:00.001-08:00

black nylon top (pictured here on a healthier day) under black Banana Republic cashmere sweater under heating blanket

2010-02-22T11:27:00.001-08:00

Grey Gap tank, dark grey, 3/4 sleeve, stretch, Banana Republic tee, black Cotton Emporium sweater, and my favorite pants, tan canvas Key workpants from the feedstore in Republic, WA. Silver hoop earrings & red Dansko clogs! Cooking enchiladas and watching Jack and Guy build a fort.

No, I didn't wear it to clean the barn

2010-02-21T14:56:00.001-08:00

From last Fall, via Nordstrom and thanks to Marc von Borstel.

Saturday errands

2010-02-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

Last night's activity was breaking apart, wrapping and storing 30 pounds of frozen turkey necks. That required a Gap long-sleeved, white tee-shirt and some pajama pants. For today's running about, I wore a pair of orange glass, drop earrings from Blinx, on Bainbridge Island; a jade necklace with amber beads that my dad got for me in Memphis; an Abercrombie and Fitch long-sleeved, green and white striped, scoop-neck tee that I probably got at a Goodwill somewhere (Tacoma?); a long, white cardigan from Maurice's in Ellensburg; Calvin Klein button-fly jeans that, truth be told, are a little on the mom-jean side, and some very cool kelty paddock boots from the DAV thrift store on Summer Avenue in Memphis.

...and the Sweet Chemise dress

2010-02-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

Sweet!
And made in Canada, which seems like it should be a good thing....
Some iPhone photos are good. This one, not so much.

The Indigo Shoe

2010-02-19T11:03:00.001-08:00

Do we call this a lug sole? It has a sole like a tennis shoe or more like a walking shoe.
Just found out that Indigo is a Clark's brand! The Clark's the made THE desert boot of my childhood!

2010-02-19T10:53:00.001-08:00

Attempting to use mobile blogging function!

Yes, frivolous.

2010-02-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

That'd be a good word to describe this. But blogs, in the universe of possibility, are a small thing, and this one is meant not to heal the world's ills but to address a small thing: I dress like a schlub (that's the right way to say that, isn't it? Spellcheck doesn't think so, but Spellcheck doesn't like Spellcheck either...) and I want to dress better. To that end, perhaps as often as daily, I will make note of what I am wearing as I go about my life as wife, mother, commercial actor and fiction writer, tender of horses, chickens, dogs and cat, here in the soggy Pacific Northwest.
Ironically, the day I write this first post, the weather is as fine as 2010 has provided. Mostly what we experience in the Pacific Northwest is rain and mud. When I look at fashion magazines from the East Coast, I see the winter wardrobe defined as one season of what-to-wear-in-the-cold. We don't really have that kind of cold here or that kind of season; what feels worse than cold and wintry to me is the wet and grey -- and in Poulsbo, where I live, mud -- we experience for nine or ten months of the year. Very few of the fine clothes I see in fashion magazines are suitable for life in the mud. I'll give you an example: I recently saw in a magazine a pair of rubber boots to be worn over shoes in the wintertime. Here, we just lose the shoes and wear the boots most of the time.
My sister once described my fashion needs as not "office to evening, but barn to evening," and I've collected clothes accordingly ever since.
Right now, I am dressed in a pair of... I had to check the button: Eddie Bauer jeans from the Goodwill in Silverdale, WA, and a grey-green, v-neck, cotton Banana Republic sweater of my brother-in-law's which I rescued from my sister's Goodwill donations. But this afternoon, I have an audition at a talent agency and I'll wear a fabulous Sweet Chemise (www.sweetchemise.com) dress I bought last night at The Finery(www.thefineryseattle.blogspot.com). The dress is a sleeveless sheath, espresso, with a cream diamond pattern inlaid. The dark brown matches my hair. Michael gave me a great deal on it-- the dress, not my hair. I'll wear a pair of shoes I bought in Hood River a couple of years ago, brand: Indigo. Black leather, square-toed, with a strap. Lots of stitching and a French heel.
Thank you for reading! Most of my posts will not be so chatty. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, especially somewhere where you encounter lots of mud (so, like, Not Bellevue!), I'd like to hear what you wear and where you shop.