The Dawn of a New Era

Sweater: Vivienne by Kim Hargreaves; madelinetosh tosh sport in charcoal; my notes and modifications on Place des Vosges
Skirt: Reformation Calico skirt in oxblood; similar styles by McQ Alexander Mcqueen and T by Alexander Wang - both are pricey, but I am very anti-fake leather. I don't have an objection to people who won't wear leather, I object to the hypocrisy of then going out and buying something that looks like you killed an animal to everyone else, but which allows you to feel smug because you know you didn't.
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Apostrophy black pump; there are, obviously, tons of black leather pumps in the universe at all price points, my recommendation for one that is more reasonably priced comes from Schutz, a Brazilian company that makes good quality shoes at a (relatively) affordable price.
Lips: Clinique Different Lipstick in Shy

Drumroll please, for these are the new black pumps. And lest you think I am made of greenbacks, not only did I agonize over buying these (or the runner-up pair), I rationalized for days after purchasing them, and then was rewarded by the universe with an unexpected check that pretty much took care of the cost (and since the Neiman Marcus near me didn't have my size and we had to order them AND there's no NM in my state, I didn't have to pay sales tax!). I do not buy a pair of full-priced shoes lightly. In fact, these are only the second pair of shoes (nice shoes) I have ever purchased full price. But classic black pumps don't really go on sale and I needed them. Badly. The women at the shoemaker's took a look at my old ones and told me, definitively, there was nothing to be done. I know I'm supposed to be talking about the sweater, and I'll get there, but I'll say another couple of things about the shoes. I had not been a fan of the designs of Christian Louboutin. I always thought they looked too Kardashian. A little cheap, a little too showy, a little everyone-mispronounces-the-name (looo-booo-tan (as in suntan), if you please). The red sole was a cute gimmick until everyone and her mother had a pair or a pair of knockoffs and then their ubiquity made them less cute. So how did I end up with a pair? These are ever so slightly different. For one, the heel is a bit shorter, the vamp a little less pronounced, the entire pair of shoes a little less stripper-y. Furthermore there's a really interesting detail where the red sole wraps slightly around onto the heel. I thought it was a really neat touch. I had one of each on my feet (the pair I bought and the Manolo Blahnik Para which I didn't) and asked a random passerby to judge (red sole unseen) and she (and the salesman helping me) both chose these. I think they will be appropriate and useful for the next 14 years I hope to own them. They've already been to the shoemaker who (see previous mention of ubiquity) was able to put a RED rubber sole on them, and today is their maiden voyage. So far, so comfortable.

Before we get to the sweater, I'd also like to take a brief moment to discuss the skirt. Reformation is a company out of California that buys up the mill ends of fabric from fashion houses and turns them into very limited edition clothing. Instead of the fabric getting thrown out, it becomes a limited run. I like the concept a lot. I like everything I've ever seen on the website a lot even as I recognize that their models are EVERYTHING I am not: very tall, very slim hipped, very small-enough busted and young enough to wear a button-down shirt without a bra and/or a backless dress. The clothing is also just a hair's breadth more expensive than I typically enjoy - especially when I have no experience with the brand and no opportunity to try anything on at a local store. However, when they have a final sale clearance where I can buy an oxblood leather skirt for 80 bucks, I figure it's a worthwhile experiment. And I could not be happier with my purchase. The skirt is EXTREMELY well made. It fits exactly as the website said it would (something that is absolutely critical for online-only shopping and something that, sadly, is not universal in either implementation or reliability), and the color is true to life. I'm really, really pleased. One thing to note is that the sizing is NOT vanity and very LA (i.e. if you are a size, say 8, you are about as big as Los Angeles thinks people should be).

Onto the sweater. I made this sweater because I bought the book it was in solely to make this sweater. I'm not even sure I looked at the other patterns in the book before purchasing. I just knew I needed this sweater. In grey. (And the model's hair, cut not color, but that isn't destined to be.) Much later, I was pleased I had purchased the book because it included the pattern for my Winter White and has many other patterns I might get around to one of these days. However it was for this sweater and this sweater alone that the not-inexpensive book was purchased. I thought this sweater was just as classy and sexy as could be and totally in my style wheelhouse. I couldn't be happier that I chose this colorway - it might be my favorite tosh grey - because it goes with so many things and allows the simple elegance of the pattern to take center stage. I do wish I had been ever so slightly less spastic about buttons, but I am not really competent when it comes to things in straight lines. C'est la vie. I do intend to make another at some point because much as I love this, it ain't perfect. The neck is too wide and I have to a) wear a strapless bra; b) push my bra straps to the side; or c) live with visible bra straps. I would also like to change how I did the wrists (and naturally the buttons), but all in all this is one of my favorite sweaters and, if I may digress, makes me really peeved that the Madewell jeans that were on my must-have fall/winter wishlist did not live up to expectations in person and now I am on the hunt for other skinny, high-waisted, deepest black jeans. Cause this sweater would also look awesome with them!