More quilted vest looks: skirt and top

 I decided to wear the quilted vest with black skirt and top. First reason was to practice wearing a column of color in this case black. Second reason I paired this vest with the black skirt and top is because I wanted to pair a flattering color up close to my face. I think black is very unflattering to my complextion. Do you like my wavy hair no flat iron today?

Third reason I decided to wear my quilted vest, because it is dreary today and cold. The gunmetal gray jewelery I am wearing reflects the mood of the weather. 
I love the modern look of these earrings. My daughter actually bought them and gave them to me. They are just funky enough to satisfy this part of my style estetic.
The bracelets are a collection of gray pearls, a bracelet from Nigeria made out of hemitite , and another cuff made out of clear plastic resin.

The fourth reason is I was trying to balance my proportions by wearing more skirts. This is a pencil skirt/A-line skirt somehow I think it works. Still experimenting with proportions.

Eureka having a style epiphany

Are you like me and trying to figure out what to do when the styles you like don't necessarily look that great on your body type.
 I never realized that my shoulders were that much wider than my hips until I read another blogger's post on how to do a 2-dimentional measure of your figures proportions instead of a 3-dimensional measure. Now to some of you this was probably obvious but for me I missed the memo. 

vintage bracelet

matching vintage earrings

As a result I realized that I need to increase the amount of volume below my waist to counter the width at my shoulders. One of the things I had not been wearing much of lately were dresses and skirts. I am definitely a pants person and adore a textured jacket but they were leaving me looking too top heavy. So I dragged out this sweater dress with lovely vertical pleating and a little flare at the hem. I think it works I feel that my top is more balanced in this dress. What do you think?
I am participating at the fabulous Not Dead Yet Style on this Monday.

My hairdo up date, The Louise Brooks look

Louise brooks silent film star

I am growing my hair out to a bob and told my hairdresser to cut my hair like Louise Brooks the silent film star from the 1920's. I think she did a good job. I just need to let the sides grow a tad longer and I will have my look. I wanted this look because I am making some 1920's influenced hats and I wanted to have the period correct hair to go with them. Pictures to follow.......

The quilted vest looks

I somehow bought 3 quilted vests. Two I bought this past fall and one I bought at least 4 years ago. I have mastered the traditional look with these vests; by that I mean jeans, t-shirt, vest.

What I want to do is come up with some more interesting non traditional looks. So I went on Pinterest for ideas and here is what I came up with. I like the idea of layering a white shirt under a sweater and popping the vest over it still a bit traditional but with bright colors I think it gives it a little punch. I like the idea of wearing a brightly colored vest over a striped T. I can do this I have a gray/white T and a rust colored vest.

 

   

Ialso like the Pinterest post with a plaid shirt bright sweater with pearls. I think I can manage that one too. Did you manage to buy some quilted vests this season and how are you wearing them?

Does color blocking have to be exact?

When you color block do the colors have to be exactly matching? I have had this purple jacket for 4 years now. I love the cut of it the fabric is lush and cozy and I think the fit is flattering on me. It was a purchase from Chico's. When I did my wardrobe sort in the past few weeks I discovered this jacket all over again. I also realized that it was an orphan of sorts. I didn't really have a bottom element other than jeans or black pants to wear with it. I also wanted to do more with my column of color idea. The idea is to match the top and bottom outer colors and add the interest with the interior top article of clothing.

The minute we went out to shoot these it started snowing

So off to the President's Day sales I went in search of purple pants that were as close to the jacket color I could find.
The result were these knit jeans. The colors are exact but the saturation is different. It was incredibly difficult to find them. There was another cotton jean style that matched exactly but the fit was terrible so I went for fit instead of exact match.
So my question is do they still look like a column of color and work or do they make the outfit look off?

Column of color and zig zag one afternoon top.

This top was made in an afternoon with just 3 yds. of  60 inch wide fabric!
I chose fleece because it would be warm and because it would mean I didn't have to finish any edges save for cutting off the selvages. 

This top was so easy to make. You basically cut slits in the fabric and add the sewn sleeves. The top of the piece becomes the 'collar', and the rest just hangs open. I chose this fleece fabric because I have a lot of clothing in the turquoise and teal family.
I have been trying to sort out my wardrobe and said I like to wear a column of color. This means you match tops to bottoms either in the outer layers or by the interior layers. Well after going through my clothing I realized I have very few tops and bottoms that match. I have lots of similar colored tops but few bottoms that match. In this outfit I do have a top that matches the dark denim jeans. I think that by matching my interior top and bottom it has a slimming effect that way by adding the outer layer that is the pop of wild color and design I can camoflague my figure challenges.

Downton Abbey Hats: I just love those 1920's styles

I just love the Downton Abbey Hats. They are definitely inspiring my spring 2013 collection. The one on the right the character 'Edith' is wearing. I love the asymmetrical brim. I am working on one in felt at the moment. I have already blocked the crown to be a rounded one like in the picture above. I have cut the brim so it is shorter in the front and back and longer on the sides. I am going to sew the wire on the brim next then work on lining the crown and will then trim it.  
This one is the prototype for the brim shape. If I am successful I will make some in straw for spring summer. Wish me luck!!

Hair do update:Growing into a bob

hair in October

Up date on the hairdo. I started out the year wanting to wear an asymmetrical hairdo. I decided that it just didn't work on me. So now I am inspired by Rihanna and Anna Wintour's  bob haircuts. 
You can see below that my hair has grown out and soon will be a bob.

 

hair in Feb

 I get tired of wearing my hair short. Do you change your hairstyle every so often? I wore my hair in a bob in 2002 and liked it. I may see how it is when it grows out more. I think my hair grows fast so by summer it will be there. I'm feeling visible today so go see me on Not Dead Yet Style Blog

Color grouping, another purple combo

Color grouping brought about this combination,purple with muted gold. I thought it would be okay to mix the tweed purple jacket with a knit top that has a jumble of colors in it. A purple rust and taupe combination.


I added my bracelets because I need to wear my jewelry and get it out of the j-box. 

The scarf with similar colors adds yet another pattern mix to the group. Do you like the mixing?

Coloring grouping part two;When is an olive not an olive?

I'm continuing my sorting and found another gap  that I have several olive green tops and jackets but no bottoms to wear them with other than denim and black. So I went out and purchased a pair of 'olive' green skinny cargoes.   I like my tops and bottoms to match because I am shorter so I like the outer piece to 'match' the bottom and to put the contrast in the middle. I don't always sport this look but it is a trick to make me look taller. 

 Note to self not all 'olive greens' are alike. Notice in the pictures below that my outer wear jacket and top are more of a true olive.  The pants I bought are more 'blue green' and obviously they don't match at all. Back to the drawing board. The leather jacket is more of a taupe so it works better with the pants.

The quilted jacket above is my fall winter warm jacket and it is a truer olive green. It is very close in color to the top.

Color Group your wardrobe: My purples

Every year at this time I like to color group my cool weather clothing. I sort my clothing by color groups. I then sort those into tops and bottoms. 
 I have been acquiring clothing that is only flattering with my personal coloring. I find that my wardrobe is more cohesive color-wise because of this strategy.
My wardrobe now consists of neutrals in the brown, beigh, navy (denim) and black groups. The colors I have fall into turquoise, teal and green color group,orange, rust and gold color group and purples. I have many basic pieces in the gray and black from before I decided that black isn't really all that flattering on me. I kept them because  sometimes black  is a great background for the other colors. I also own a bunch of beigh, camel and tans but they are more in the summer hot weather fabrications. 
The other reason I do this is because I sometimes have closet orphans and when I sort my clothes I can easily identify them.  
I then sort my scarves similiarily into color groups.  
After all of this sorting I then can see where I need to fill in my wardrobe.  
I  discovered a purple dress I bought last Christmas 2011. Yep I haven't worn it since then. Well I recently bought a tweedy jacket with the purple tones in it. So I popped that jacket over that dress and Voila new life for the dress.  
So here are some of my purple pieces and looks.  

close up of the fabric in the jacket