Tomboy

Happy New Year! Is everyone rested from Christmas and ready for 2017?   

I have one word for today: Tomboy! Tomboy is a fashion label out of Kansas City created by Laura McGrew. Laura has been a constant on the Kansas City creative scene since 1999. She studied painting at The Kansas City Art Institute but always knew her real calling was fashion design. I feel Laura creates timeless pieces that are versatile. 

When I saw this long asymmetrical vest at a recent KC Collaborative Holiday Popup event, I couldn't keep my eyes off it. I knew it was a very limited edition piece but I felt guilty getting something for myself right before Christmas. Michael took care of that. Sometimes husbands are pretty handy! Supporting locally designed and produced fashion is high on my list of priorities. Priced at $135, this vest seemed to be a very good investment for me.

There are so many ways I can wear this piece. Deciding of which three to show today was hard! 

Look #1. With Jeans

This look was worn to a charity event and is probably my favorite. Styling with my Tomboy are Madewell Skinny jeans, a ChiChi black layering shell and Adrienne Vittadini boots (TJ Maxx about a couple of years ago). 

The highlight of the accessories today is my M2 earrings by Mary Morris, a "new to me" Kansas City jewelry designer. I discovered her pieces at the Jeweled Gypsy's  popup shop on the Country Club Plaza. The Jeweled Gypsy usually travels around the city in their store on wheels. 

Next is my matching necklace/bracelet set that I found at my hospital's gift shop (when I got my mammogram this summer), leather gloves from TJ Maxx (years ago) and a black leather bag from Adrian Kriestler Drugs (again, you never know where you are going to find great things) and finally the Marc Jacobs sunglasses, from The RealReal.

Look #2. The Black Column

I decided to try a little dressier look. This black column has been on before (HERE). I changed the bag to my vintage Koret, probably the first vintage bag I ever bought. It was a great deal on eBay because it was missing its strap. I just bought a chain from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads and was good to go. My heels are Manolo Balhnik's (eBay years ago). They are such classics and I have worn them steadily during the years. 

My black hat is an old friend and have had it forever. I think it came from Signals.

Look #3. Dressing It Up

My final challenge to answer was if I could wear my new Tomboy vest with a dress. What do you think? The black sheath dress dates from the days when Issac Mizrahi had a line for Target. Wow, how many years ago was that? It's a great little dress that I still wear. 

I added an Alfani patent leather clutch (eBay), Etienne Aigner pumps (Dillards, over 12 years ago), long black faux leather gloves, a thrifted burgundy patterned scarf, a cuff that my youngest keeps leaving at the house and a beaded collar necklace (see below). 

A close up of my beaded collar-necklace that I found at Kansas City's The Hat Store. The polish shown is Unfaithful Red by Nubar. Unfaithful Red is a metallic with a golden sheen and was perfect for the Christmas holidays. 

The Painted Accessory

One of my biggest surprises is how much I love green polish. I found myself wearing it often during the holidays. The base green on this post is Ray by Zoya (discontinued-but Zoya has plenty other greens). 

I then topped it off with Meow by Rescue Beauty Lounge. RBL is no longer but their polish can still be found on eBay. But, of course, they are very over priced.

Bonus Look For Today

On the subject of Tomboy, I am compelled to share my Tomboy asymmetrical navy knit skirt. It is perfect for that red, white and blue combination.  

That's all I have for today so...

Adieu until the next time and in the meantime...
Happy Styling!

This week, I am linking up with Patti's Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday HERE,  Cherie's  Style Nudge's Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine's Not Dressed As Lamb's I will Wear What I like HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine's Style Perspectives HERE, Shopping My Closet's Style Me Wednesday HERE, The Pleated Poppy's What I Wore HERE, High Altitude Style's Link-Up HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun's Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE, Nancy's Fashion Style's Fancy Friday , Color and Grace's Fashion Link-Up HERE,  Rachel's (Rachel The Hat) The Passion For Fashion Link-up HERE and Style Crone's Hat Attack HERE.


Photo credit for this week goes to Michael and my Grandson William for my portraits and myself for the nail photos.

One Thing Connects To Another

First off, I don't buy anything unless I like it. And even then, it has to somehow fit what I already have. So if I'm intrigued or distracted by an item, I try to visualize how it might fit with what's in my closet, how it might be styled. One item connects to another and then to another. Over time, a look or style emerges. My style. 


That is how the outfit came to be that I wore recently to a meeting of Missouri Retired Teachers. I started with five base items: the beret, gloves, leggings, bag and boots.

A quick shot and away I went-I was late and it was cold!

The gloves and beret came along years ago. The black beret has been in my closet so long, I have forgotten the when and where purchasing details--but I knew it was safely there.

When I ran across the fur-edged, leather gloves on eBay about six years ago, I knew they would fit  nicely with things I already owned. 

The story is the same with my B Makowsky bag which has been with me for about four years. I like this bag a lot. However, I probably won't be getting too many more B's: the quality just isn't there with the newer ones, plus the company no longer seems to stand behind their product.

If I think something is a bit on the short side, I add leggings. When I was younger, I wore my share of tights. I remember the days of donning a mini skirt and having a matching turtle neck and tights. Did anyone else sport this look back in the day?

The last basic element would be the Ann Klein faux fur topped booties. Rarely these days do I visit Marshalls, TJ Maxx or Ross (unlike ten or so years ago) but I may occasionally drop in. These booties were found at the Ross store in Joplin, MO. I really was taken by them but they weren't cheap. And I just had trouble visualizing how useful they would be with what I had. 

After three days, I could not get them out of my mind. If I can't stop thinking about something, it is best to just give in, go get it and have faith it is going to work out. I had to be back in Joplin later that week, and they were still there! Sometimes, I lose out on an item taking this approach but I just usually don't go for impulse purchases.

For me, these were five great accessories. Still  they needed an anchor point to work together.

It's a sunny-cold day. That's great because it gives me a chance to wear my Marc Jacob sun glasses that I picked up from The RealReal 
last July. Does anyone else find wonderful things there?

The anchor points were to be found at Good Will and Salvation Army. I have never shied away from telling folks that I shop at these two fine establishments--which could lead into my concerns about the fashion industry and the environment. Let me come back to that later. 

Last winter, at Good Will, I ran across an Ann Taylor Loft grey dress with ribbing below where the natural waist was. I think the top was supposed to be a little blousey and hang over the skirt. After trying it on, I understood why it was donated. The dress didn't flatter a body at all. But I liked the color, general design and I loved the dolman sleeves. It was probably senior discount day, so I didn't pay over $2.50 for a dress that looked as if it was never worn. 

Well, I guess I need to add, for me, impulse purchases are OK if it is senior day at Goodwill! 

I now have something that looks like a matched sweater and skirt. This look was very popular when I was in high school.

What to do about the way it looked? I first tried to put a belt with it as in this photo below and still wasn't happy. 

Last week, I had the answer. I just tucked and tacked the ribbed band in place and now it is a faux two-piece look that would flatter any figure. It took just a little time, some thread and a needle.

I just didn't like the way the dress looked in this shot.

The next to the last item for this look is the Diane Von Furstenburg purple and grey herringbone patterned wool jacket with the faux fur collar and raglan sleeves. When I found this one, at Salvation Army, I knew it would look great with my fur topped boots! The purple adds a color that is rarely seen in my closet and the grey anchors it to all my neutral colors--a nice twist.

Shopping at Salvation Army takes a good eye and a lot of patience. Whereas, Good Will is arranged by color, Salvation Army is arranged by item style and you just have to keep looking. Another  difference, is that Good Will charges the same price for similar styles without consideration of brands. An Armani Exchange silk tunic will be the same price as something from Walmart (and yes, I did find this silk tunic). Salvation Army, on the other hand, knows who the designers are. If it is something by a designer such as Calvin Klein, expect to pay extra (it was and I did).

Taming the scarf a bit with a modern art pin allowed me to experiment with an asymmetrical look.

I wanted a black scarf to go with this look. Last year, I picked up some stretch black velvet at JoAnn's with the intention of making some kind of head wrap--which never happened. I took the velvet and backed it with some black silk from my stash. To me, this scarf goes well.

Art accessories are important to me. This is especially true when it comes to my jewelry. Featured on the left is my newest necklace Sticks and Stones by Cydney Ross. I'm wearing it in today's shots, but its not very visible. Cydney is a Kansas City jewelry designer who uses porcelain in her pieces. The pin on the right was purchased at Agora Arts in Decorah, Iowa, years ago. 

My Changing Purchasing Philosophy

During the last four years, I have changed how and from whom I source my garments. My thoughts on buying habits changed when I read Elizabeth L. Cline's book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost Of Cheap Fashion. I just really liked this book and highly recommend it. (see my review ). (By the way, it now is available for less than ten dollars, which includes shipping, from Amazon's used book section.)

After reading Overdressed, I have settled into a general pattern of shopping:

1. thrift shops, consignment shops and eBay-this gives me extra money to spend on #3.
2. making it myself-this is no longer about saving money like it use to be in the 60s and 70s. It is about having something unique and being creative.
3. Midwestern designers-my designers more than likely create their own designs. Purchasing their products is one of the best ways I know to support Made In The USA
4. and finally, smaller local boutiques, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and online stores such as ASOS and Mango, etc. 

There will always be exceptions. There will be days that I will pick up a pair of socks at Walmart or maybe see a cool pair of jeans at Cato. But those times far and few. I honestly try not to buy "fast fashion".

Looking out for things to augment my style is like cleaning my kitchen because it never ends. I set limits, know what I need, and occasionally make one of those instant decision purchases. 

 I do weed or either pass things along to my daughters if we both think it would be useful to them and, if not, its donation time to the DAV. I realize I have not mentioned sourcing bags and shoes. That needs to be left for another time.

The Polished Accessory

I know this has been a long post but I wanted to share this new gorgeous a-england polish. Look at that scattered holo! This is  one of the most beautiful vampy burgundy's I have ever seen and it's In Robe and Crown from Adina's new collection Tennyson's Romance. I picked it up during Color4Nails Black Friday Sale.

That's all I have for today so...

Adieu until the next time and in the meantime...
Happy Styling!

This week, I am linking up with Patti's Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday HERE,  Cherie's  Style Nudge's Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine's Not Dressed As Lamb's I will Wear What I like HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine's Style Perspectives HERE, Shopping My Closet's Style Me Wednesday HERE, The Pleated Poppy's What I Wore HERE, High Altitude Style's Link-Up HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun's Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE, Nancy's Fashion Style's Fancy Friday , Color and Grace's Fashion Link-Up HERE,  Rachel's (Rachel The Hat) The Passion For Fashion Link-up HERE and Style Crone's Hat Attack HERE.


Photo credit for this week goes to Michael for my portraits and myself for the nail photo.

5 Days-6 Ways; Shopping My Closet

Last week, I tried a new experience. It was hectic but fun. I joined the second week of Sylvia Van De Logt's 40+ Style's Casual Style Challenge. The first week completely passed me by. I didn't realize what was going on at first. But once I did, I jumped in!

Before I even started, I made a pledge to myself that I would only shop from my closet. For the most part, this worked out fine. With one look, I did stretch things a bit. We were given the option to substitute items if needed and many ladies did (including me). So let's get started. First off, we were sent a 9 piece capsule wardrobe.  They were:

Bottoms

1. White ankle pants-I used my white White House/Black Market 
    jeans that I thrifted last summer.
2. Chinos-I used a pair of thrifted Gap chinos that I altered into a 
    slim leg-they were originally quite flared.
3. Denim skirt-I haven't wanted to wear a denim skirt since '99.
    So, I substituted with an asymmetrical Tomboy of Kansas City skirt, and  a white knee length cotton straight skirt. 

Tops

4. Printed cotton top in a bright color-I used a flowered Style and

    Company blouse from Macy's.

5. Printed bomber jacket-don't have one, don't want one so I

    did a substitution on this one. Will explain later.

6. Sheer flower blouse-This was already used in week one so although I did have something that worked, I didn't need to use it. 

7. Camisole-I used a modified camisole that had wider straps.

8. Asymmetrical top-I used a knit top that I got from my friend

    Sheree's Looks Like Carolina Boutique.  

9. White blouse-I used a 100% Linen Cherokee blouse that I 

     actually found at the Harrisonville Trade Fair--sort of a weird

     place to find a brand new blouse. 

We were given the option to add one extra piece which I did right off the bat for Day One. So here we go...................

Day One-Pair a printed blouse with a denim skirt or another owned skirt.

The added suggestions were to add wedge shoes, romantic jewelry and no more than three or four colors. I paired a 100% polyester grey and pink jersey top with a knee-length white cotton skirt. Again, this top was thrifted. Usually, this style doesn't look good on me, but I feel this top does and I wear it a lot in the summer. Where I got the skirt is a mystery to me, I can't remember.

I chose shoes of a pale leaning toward neutral: Ellen Tracy shoes and a Big Buddha Bag of the same tone (both TJ Maxx). I liked the romantic take on the jewelry and used a pearl and silver chain Stella and Dot necklace (eBay) and a pearl motif buckle shaped bangle (Adrian Kriestler Drugs) with a mother-of-pearl silver ring (TJ Maxx).

Day Two-Pair an asymmetrical top with white pants. 

I had already put this top away with my Fall/Spring clothes. The taupe top is 100% stretch rayon made in the USA. It has long sleeves but I just scrunched them up (I do that a lot).  I let the tan and white of my main pieces dictate what accessories I used. The Ann Kline perforated cork wedges (eBay) are edged with white patent leather and these led to the choice of the laser cut white Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag (eBay), My jewelry is collected from everywhere throughout the years and falls into the wood, seed and paper category. But I would like to point out my purple-rolled paper necklace. I purchased it through Project Lydia, a Fair Trade non-profit that helps women to become self-employed and independent. 

I need to acknowledge the other model in the photo. Bennett, our 11 year-old Black Lab wanted in the picture that day and who could tall him no. 

Day Three-Pair a denim skirt with a white blouse

Rather than a denim skirt, I chose my Tomboy Design of Kansas City's by Laura McGrew asymmetrical cotton knit skirt. It is super comfy and makes me happy. 

I paired it with the white linen blouse tied at the waist. I stayed with a denim look with some Tahari light blue linen chunky heeled sandals (TJ Maxx) and continued the blue with my Eric Javit's bag (eBay). For pops of color, I added a red and bronze necklace, a multi colored modern bracelet (both from art museum gift shops) and red Zoya Pixie Dust nail polish. I pretty much always use nail polish to complete the color palette of what I am wearing. 

Day Four-Pair a printed blouse (red was suggested) with a pair of Khaki pants. 

I ended up doing two looks for this day. The one on the left is the "official" one. I have my one and only flower printed blouse (Style and Co. at Macy's) and purchased it because of its lines. It has gathered panels and is very slenderizing. The khaki pants are from The Gap. I altered the legs after I thrifted them as mentioned.

I added my Liz Claiborne belt (have had it for 30 years), a Michael Kors straw bag, and some Liz Claiborne four-textured wedges with wood and tortoise shell jewelry.

Stalking under my handbag is JayJay, a tiger cat who just showed up and adopted us. Today he decided he needed to be an accessory for me.

The right photo is my extra look. I think anything in these two photos could be interchanged easily. I added this look because this is a red blouse 100% cotton (thrifted) as suggested. There isn't a tag in this shirt, just made in India.

I paired it with my Vera Wang for Kohls cuffed capris. The accessories include my go-everywhere hat when I don't want sun. It's been with me for 26 years. The sandals are Minnetonka from our local farm and home store, and the little cross-body camera bag has no label and has been with me for as long as the hat.

Day Five-Pair white pants and white blouse with a bomber jacket

I don't own a bomber jacket and remember that I was only shopping my closet. I had to reach pretty far back into the closet archives to even come close for this one. 

I did some research and found that my favorite bomber jackets were Asian inspired. Imagine that (I am referencing my last style post here)! I pulled a dragon-embroidered men's shirt that my daughter Rachelle bought back in the Summer of '99. She didn't want it anymore and I just couldn't let it go. I was always going to do something with it. What that something is, I still have no idea. 

For this look, I temporarily hemmed it up a lot because it's a very long shirt.  I think it makes a nice boxy jacket, but I'm not committing to that idea yet. 

With it , I paired my yet to be used white camisole and white pants and let them dictate the black and white theme for the accessories. The black, white and silver flats are by Nine West (TJ Maxx), as is the bag. The bag came from Nine West's online outlet store site. I wished I had read the measurements a bit better on this bag. It was described as a bucket bag. They should have added "...it's big enough to put oats in to feed your horse oats.."! It really is huge. The black and silver jewelry are pieces I have picked up over the years and quite frankly, sometimes I forget where I get things. We are talking a few decades of collecting. 

That covers my busy styling week. Would I do something like this again? Probably, yes. Kudos to the ladies that did both weeks. I think one was plenty for me. This was a fun problem-solving exercise. For me, that's what makes fashion fun: "I have this and what can I put it with"?, or "I am going here and what would be appropriate"? 

This is the end. But, I have another small post coming tomorrow! It's a combination of Not Dressed as Lamb's challenge for Monday and Sylvia's latest newsletter.

I hope you have enjoyed this long, long post. What's new about that, right? This one really demonstrated how I shop. I look everywhere, even at my farm and home store. I discovered thrift shopping as a hobby last summer. There's such a challenge in it. I love the hunt for a great piece, even if it means that I have to alter it a tad. Another one of my favorites is eBay but I only look for brands  I am very familiar with and I am extra careful with purchasing bags. There are so many fakes with the really popular bags. I will discuss that a little tomorrow.

Take care-well, I guess until tomorrow!

This week, I am linking up with Patti's Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday HERE, Cherie's  Style Nudge's Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine's Not Dressed As Lamb's I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace's Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine's Style Perspectives HERE, Sydney's Fashion Hunter's Fresh Fashion Forum HERE,   High Altitude Style's Link-Up, Fashion Should Be Fun's Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE, Shelbee's Edge of the Week Link Up HERE and Nancy's Fancy Friday HERE and finally July's My Refined Style.

Spring Has Finally Sprung and Its Time For Some Straw

Spring and Summer are finally here! They seem to have come upon us together in the Heartland, because it seems to me that the last two months have been pretty chilly. 

With that said, happy June and hello to this month's Hat Attack. This is my sixth month of doing Hat Attack and that is a small mile stone for me. Originally, I wanted to do Judith's Hat Attack soooo badly, so I started this style blogging and have had such a great time doing it. 

With the warm weather, it was time to bring out my straw. Today's look is centered around mixing straw textures of different color. The snafu with today's shots is that you can't see my feet! I've made up for it below with one of my still life shots. 

There is a problem with great days like we are having. My in-house photographer (a.k.a as Michael the hubby) would rather be in his garden than anywhere else. I decided to be a nice wife and bring the camera and I to him. So we have this beautiful green backdrop in front of the Wisteria, but after downloading the photos, I realized that his taller garden grass and shoes don't mix well. 

This look started when I had just found this "new to me" apostrophe jacket on my Friday night "thrift hunt". I am not sure what I had planned for this post, but when I saw this jacket, everything went out the window.

The material is a 98% Cotton / 2 % Spandex and has a free flowing window pane type of design with off-white, black and grey. Gee, this goes with about 90% of my wardrobe. The jacket is a smock design with darts in the front, back and bottom of the bracelet length sleeves. And bracelet length sleeves are one of my favorites, because, as the name implies, you can show off your bracelets!

A back view, to show the slits I put in the back of my capris. Read below for more about that.

And now to the other choices I made for this look. I was drawn to this particular straw Fedora, because a Fedora always has a masculine flair about it, yet the large straw bow just sort of thumbs its nose at that notion. I picked it up at my favorite KC hat store Exclusively For You.  

The four textured sandals from Liz Claiborne picks up on the textures where the hat leaves off. With jute, suede cloth, straw and vegan leather, they manage to tie it all together with the the neutral tones. I wear them a lot. 

The bag is one of my Eric Javits eBay purchases. This is one of his smaller Squishee bags. Again, a straw texture. I love Javits bags for the summer. This one is such a "ladies who lunch bag".  

The jewelry is silver. There was a time when I was really a purist and would not mix gold with silver. Those days are over. I wear whatever with whatever, whenever -- as long as I feel that they can play nicely together.  

Now you can see the shoes

Now on to my capris, which I made. I used Vogue 2948, which is  discontinued,  unfortunately. I like this pattern because it has princess seaming, and for us who have no fannies, princess seam pants are great for getting a good fit. This point brings up something else. The reason I have always sewn is that my body is a very hard fit. Besides making original looks from scratch, it's nice to have skills to alter something off the rack (which is about 95% of the time when it comes to dresses).

The fabric is 100% Linen and I got it online from Vogue Fabrics out of Chicago. As I alluded to in the back view photo, I did change the pattern a tad. The pattern does not show a Capri style, so I just made them shorter and for some reason, I decided I needed slits up the back. A whim of the moment, I suppose. 

I made a top for my pants using another Vogue Options pattern (also princess seaming), and I found this photo from last summer to show you both pieces together. Wow, my hair was so blond. I started going natural back in February and think I have more of a mixed blond/silver tone now.

At a Claire McCaskill book signing through KC's Rainy Day Books

A scan of my pattern. I really want some pants like the sketch. Oh, I need so much more time!

I found one other princess seamed pants if someone was interested in trying to make a pair. I would first search eBay and ETSY for the original pattern because it is out there. These by Burda look a little more time consuming than my pattern. But, wow, they are stylish. It's a PDF so there would be a lot of taping together after you downloaded it.

Did I mention I made these pants twice? I made the longer version (as the pattern) in a 100% Linen black/white plaid that I purchased at a beloved but "oh, no more" fabric store Cy Rudnicks that was located in Kansas City. I need to do a styling with my longer version this Fall because I wear them all the time. 

And Then There Is the Polish............

I have to show you Zoya's Aster from their 2016 Spring Petals collection. This is another winner. It's Periwinkle (one of my favorite polish tones) with flecks of fuchsia. You can't get more Spring than that! 

I will say goodbye for now. This was suppose to be a short post, but, by the time I talk about styling, sewing and my beloved Zoya, perhaps short posts just aren't in my future. Well, I hope you enjoyed it.

Take care until we meet again. I will be back around the same time next week. I usually publish on Sunday afternoons.

This week, I am linking up with Judith of Style Crone's Hat Attack HERE, Patti's Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday HERE, Cherie's  Style Nudge's Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine's Not Dressed As Lamb's I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace's Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Shopping My Closet's Style Me Wednesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine's Style Perspectives HERE, Sydney's Fashion Hunter's Fresh Fashion Forum HERE,   High Altitude Style's Link-Up HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun's Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE and Style Diary By Osy's Friday Link Up Party HERE. 

A Cold and Windy April Night

Friday night is Starbucks, shopping and thrifting.  Michael settles in at Starbucks with a good book and coffee. I do the other stuff and join him when I'm finished. 

Where I live, Mother Nature had a fun time on the first Friday of April. Sunny but cold with a good dose of wind, some folks probably would have revolted, worn flower prints, cut offs, and flip flops. But for me, it was just one more time to wear one of my wool Fedoras!

I could call this my menswear look with a bit of vintage whimsy. As usual, it's a bit of new, thrifted, and vintage.

My Fedora is new by DPC, with the color "putty". I picked it up at my favorite KC hat store Exclusively For You.  

The pricey-looking navy jacket (Collections for Le Suit) with tan and grey pinstripes is another great thrifty find. I know originally it was part of some ensemble but by the time it made it to the thrift store it was all by its lonesome--and not expensive!

My jeans are Madewell skinnies and I got them at a Madewell. Expensive, yes but I have one pair and they look great every time I wear them. Madewells do not stretch or bag and they fit my body type great. Yes, I love, love, love them. 

Now for the purse. It's part of my vintage collection and is a Furla. I liked the color, simplicity and the length of the straps. From eBay and is the only Furla I own. 

The Oxfords are Nine West and I did get them from Nine West. They have this almost crochet interest that I love. 

And now for the whimsy. I have a collection of vintage Poodle scarfs. They range from classic to Bob Mackie bright. The one I am wearing with this ensemble is probably my favorite. It is a double woven jacquard in silk from France. It is a tad hard to see in the photos above so I created a still life below to show the two-color weave of my scarf and the knot work of the oxfords.  

Finally to my nails. I've been wearing quite a bit of blue lately. My latest is from an Australian Indie by the name of MckFresh and this is their Mermish Tales. This is a scattered holo and is just gorgeous, especially in natural sunlight.

Oh, and a quick report on my shopping gems that night. At Salvation Army I found a black wool crepe shift dress that will be great next Fall. I just need to fiddle with the hem a bit. Also scored was a wool Herringbone vest from Harvé Benard and some Top Shop flats. Kohls had some of their hats on clearance and I found a grey straw Fedora mixed in with all the winter hats. Needless to say, I snapped it up!

Here I am wearing my new hat and vest the very next day. Typical of Missouri, the temps were about 15 degrees warmer. The Poodles (I'm holding Sophia) and I were on our way to watch the boys in Joplin.

That's it for today. Here's to warmer days and take care until we meet again. 

Terri

Today, I am linking up with  Patti's Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday HERE, Cherie's  Style Nudge's Shoe and Tell HERE, Nicole's High Latitude Style Linkup HERE, Catherine's Not Dressed As Lamb's I will Wear What I like HERE,
Color and Grace's Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE,
Shopping My Closet's Style Me Wednesday HERE, Sydney's Fashion Hunter's Fresh Fashion Forum HERE and
and Fashion Should Be Fun's Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE and Style Diary By Osy's Friday Link Up Party HERE.

Hats and Wraps

When the Joplin School District had Spring Break, Michelle hired her fill-in veterinarian and brought the boys for five days to spend at the farm. They also went to Kansas City (we are just one hour away) to spend time with her sister and to pick up some culture. Our son-in-law is the clinic's office manager and stayed to man the ship and keep everything running smoothly.

During Michelle's visit, we sewed, knitted, ate and had a great time. She taught me how to use our jointly owned serger which I had been putting off. I will use it in the future and when I actually make something on it, I will let everyone know!

We ended their trip with a few pictures for the fun of it. They were just in time for Judith's Style Crone's April Hat Attack. 

I fell in love with this vintage pillbox on eBay and really didn't worry if I had a place to wear it. It does seem to be wool and the label says Bellini Original. I don't know to much about hat makers but did find some other Bellini hats on ETSY. I always like to find out some history of a vintage item or the company that made it, but I came up with nothing. I probably just need to look a little harder.

I saw what Michelle brought to wear for the picture and then with hat in hand headed to the closet to style something that would go with her. In the end, we went with the black/gray/pink tones. With us, as usual, it's a bit of the new, vintage and refashioned.

Michelle's top is from Mimu Maxi out of New York. Their line is a minimalist style and made in the USA. With it, she is wearing what is called a "skirt legging". This one is refashioned from a very stretch A-line skirt that she thrifted. The shoes are mine. I liked that their abstract pattern matched the pattern in her printed scarf. 

And now to me for a bit. 

I've already talked about my hat. The jacket is a pink, grey and black chenille textured that I thrifted. I picked this up about two years ago on my first excursion to thrift shops with Michelle. My pants are old ( six years maybe?) Charter Club silks that I altered to reflect my changing taste. They were very wide legged and baggy originally. My shoes are my trusty neutral Nine Wests that I wear a lot in the Spring.

A close up of Michelle's wrap. This child has an incredible amount of scarfs. After 100, I think she lost count. She gets them new, used, from here, there and everywhere. From what I've seen her do, this is a simple style. She only used two scarfs and no jewelry.
I fell in love with two of her Wrapunzel scarfs and had to go online and order a couple to style with my wardrobe. I gave a link to Deep Ocean one of the most gorgeous scarfs I have ever seen and is one of those I purchased.

My top under the jacket was just so-so 

and as I do a lot, added a scarf and tied 

it into a bow.

Just a close up

Our oldest grandson William with our 

oldest daughter Michelle.

He is taller that she is now.

 How fast they grow up!

The last two weeks have spoiled me. Posting with the girls is so much fun. Next week I will be all my myself. 

And closing with some sweet eye candy. Michelle enjoys making and decorating cakes. She follows quite a few Australian cake makers on YouTube. She made this one for her Dad. He lives up to our last name and is the gardener of the family. This recipe had rose water among the ingredients and was heaven on a fork!

Take care until next time. 

Today, I am linking up with  Judith of The Style Crone's Hat Attack HERE, Patti's Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday HERE, Cherie's  Style Nudge's Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine's Not Dressed As Lamb's I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace's Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Shopping My Closet's Style Me Wednesday HERE and Sydney's Fashion Hunter's Fresh Fashion Forum HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun's Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE and Style Diary By Osy's Friday Linkup Party HERE.