Yesterday, thinking it might be time to pop another What I Wore post up here I snapped a photo of this outfit which I liked enough to wear twice this week (or I might just have been lazy ;-). . .
I knew I’d had the faded Levis (Telling It Like It Is: I bought them already faded) for a while . . .
but until my sister coincidentally sent me a message this morning with this photo from our trip to Paris in 2015, I hadn’t realized I’ve had them at least five years. . . The vest in that Paris photo didn’t survive the culling of our “big Move of 2016,” and I rather regret its disappearance. But I still have the navy striped T. The Birkenstock Gizehs got replaced by my (white) Arizonas. Still wearing the jeans with a navy top, though. And I still have curls — now they’re all my own colour (mostly grey!) which is good in Covid Times — bad enough that I have to pin my hair up all the time, but at least I’m not contending with roots. . .
The scarf in these photos is another oldie but goodie (just like me, right?) — silk, from Club Monaco well over seven years ago. . . . You can see the same shirt (bought in Portland a couple of springs ago) styled with the same jeans but different scarf –one I bought on that sisters’ trip to Paris — back here Honestly, I feel pretty good about the wardrobe longevity manifest in this OOTD, and also about having pieces I like putting together into outfits that fit my lifestyle and that I feel good wearing. And I really like the feeling of not needing or wanting more right now. This is a good side-effect of Covid-19 confinement, for me (a confirmed online shopper probably experiences something quite different).
Okay, now if you’ll excuse me, my guy is coming back with croissants from the wonderful French Atelier Patisserie just down the block and then we plan to bike to the furthest beach the pathway will take us to. Contemplate the Salish Sea for a while, then turn around and come back home. . .
And you, any special plans for the day?
That's the trip to Paris where we thought we might be able to meet up and then Stu and I couldn't squeeze it in. I almost saw that outfit in real life. Still looks fab. Sounds like you have a great day planned. We drove down to my sister's house in Brockville, where we chatted on the step, and exchanged parcels. Groceries for her, including a bag of fresh picked fiddleheads, every New Brunswickers dream this time of year. Ha. And she gave us a package of masks she brought home from her drugstore. Produce for PPE, sort of. Happy Mother's Day tomorrow. xo
Enjoy your Mother’s Day Frances.
I dressed up yesterday for a meet up in a friends garden. 4 of us regularly go out to lunch to celebrate birthdays but this year we had to get creative and we brought our own lunches and chairs and sat far apart. It was wonderful!!!
Your guy is awfully good a providing you both with delicious meals! Hope your hike was nice.
I really like that outfit. Aren't you happy to be a curly woman of a certain age? It's so easy except when it blows around. Daughter and I just dropped off a Mothers' Day puzzle to my Mum. She's picking up a brunch and bringing it over tomorrow. I've got a bunch of tomatoes to plant and I'm going to make herb baskets for the balcony. Enjoy your Mothers'Day!
Looking at the sea sounds like a very good plan to me. I had to be content with a short run along a little river this morning. Now I am startig to make a couple of headbands for me. My bob has completely lost its shape and there is no chance for an appointment at the hairdresser's in the near future. At the moment I envy people with curly hair more than ever. It is much easier (and looks much nicer) to pin up curls than fuzzy strains.
Cute look! I really like that shirt, and the scarf too. Jeans and shoes seem to be the items that have most longevity in my wardrobe. Hope you have a lovely Sunday!
Susan B: Ha! There's no app yet for that part of the sharing economy 😉 Fiddleheads for Face Masks. . . (I'd forgotten we got close to meeting that trip. . .
Hostess: That must have been such a good afternoon. I am so missing long relaxed chats with good friends in nurturing environments. . . .
Mme: Yes! Curly hair that we've given permission to grey is very forgiving — although my curl really needs a wetting down each morning to calm the bedhead and revive the curl. . . . These days, with no one else but my husband to see it, I've been known to skip even that step 😉 Herb baskets will be great on your balcony — so handy and fragrant as well!
Eleonore: Something about moving (or even still) water is so restorative, isn't it? My hair has lost its shape as well and at this length, the curl and the cut combine with gravity to unflattering effects. . . I'm not at all good with hairbands, but my hairclip is a trusty companion these days.
Susan B: Thanks! Enjoy the rest of your weekend in your beautiful back yard.
What a beautiful trip! Sea,patisserie…what's here not to like! Your outfit is lovely…navy/ white (or ecru) polka dots…I adore them. The only thing I really really would like to have in my closet (lol) is a silk navy/white polka dots dress- I've had one wrap dress like this during last months of my pregnancy- if I only have kept it- maybe it could be just a right size for me after lockdown 🙂
Dottoressa
Proving that navy blue looks great with grey hair. I am having a serious wardrobe re-think. Time to phase out the black, phase in the dark blue. Today's plans: lunch soon, been for an early run in the sunshine, post some letters…I think that might be it.
I like the outfit and the hair. And the person, of course:).
Am I imagining it or are you looking very lean these days?
Love this summery outfit (on a day when it's snowing here). And your link to your Bordeaux post has taken me travelling back through your Bordeaux posts – wonderfully calming to my wanderlust to be in France. I hadn't read all the way back through the years and now I'm setting aside a tranquil moment every day to do just that, relishing your discovery of the city and storing up tips for future visits. We have heard from our French friends in Bdx and they are doing okay, although worrying about family in other areas of France. I hear that hairdressers in France have been besieged upon déconfinement this week. It's not something I'm missing (just think of the money saved, says the thrifty Scot in me). Wearing a headband or scarf to get my hair out of my eyes for gardening I discover I like the look – a lockdown revelation. For some with high maintenance styles it must be more worrying. I had an email from the hairdresser I go to when in Edinburgh, all how to remove your hair extensions for "the safety of your hair", and how this time was really a blessing in disguise despite grey roots to let our hair recover and repair. Doesn't say much about the invasiveness of many hair treatments!
Plans, as I write this over breakfast? Moving bags of organic soil improver out of the greenhouse to make room for moving the kale, broccoli and courgette seedlings in from the heat of the house, and then pricking out more cosmos seedlings into wee pots. Then a cup of tea in the greenhouse while the soft hail whispers on the glass.
Dottoressa: I would love a navy-and-white polka dot dress — in silk yet! Perfection! And ah yes, there are days when a favourite pregnancy dress would suit my current waist so well 😉
Annie: I like the "I think that might be it." My ambitions for the day often meet a serious check right about 3 o'clock (often on waking from a nap that was supposed to energize but has instead introduced a more sensible perspective . . .
Lisa: It's not your imagination, but it has crept up and surprised me, the leanness, until people starting remarking on how "tiny" I am (not at all true, in fact). . . .Partly the Invisalign eating habits (snacking is just not worth flossing for!), and mostly the strength training which took a while to have a visible effect and then Voilà. . . .But the gym is not a safe place at the moment, so there will likely be another shift…
Linda: Your comments on my past Bordeaux posts made such a difference to my blogging attitude when I read them this morning — thank you! Some days I really do wonder if it's worthwhile, so to think you would go reading back in the archives. . . 😉
I'll be very glad to get a haircut and have some form imposed on this scruffiness, but like you, I'm not terribly fussed (and have also found that I like the look, some days). I think we're getting tested on our ideas of sustainability. . . . some hair and skin maintenance isn't, really. . . .I'm not sure I'd want to be doing all the hard work you're doing, but I must admit that when you write about your current lifestyle, I'm more than a bit envious. The creation, the lifestyle, the sheer space! But reality — how's that reno going and how are you doing living amidst it?
I'm coming up on a 5th Paris anniversary as well – at the beginning of June. Today is the 5th anniversary of the day we left for Spain so I could walk the Camino de Santiago from Leon to Santiago. We followed that up with a few days in Paris to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
That was a trip that couldn't be done in a carry on! One wardrobe (plus hiking poles) for Spain, and an entirely different one for Paris.
You are looking incredibly cool – exactly the sort of effortless, ‘oh hey, this is just my favourite stuff’ effect so many of us strive for. These weird times suit you 🙂
Carol: I still think I might like to do at least the part of the Chemin de Compostelle. . .
Tiffany: This is such a lovely compliment (even the part about being well suited to weird times;-)