Other Things I'm Not Good At

Sweater: owls by Kate Davies; malabrigo chunky in polvoriento; my notes and modifications onf Tee-hee Hooters
Dress: Brooks Brothers blackwatch plaid shirtdress (still available in sizes 8 and 12); similar styles at The Gap, Forever 21, and Ralph Lauren (and boy do I love it styled with that leather jacket)
Shoes: Prada green leather loafers (seriously these are an amazing deal for the lady with the size 8.5 foot); similar styles by Chie Mihara (love that heel), Tory Burch, and Sonia Rykiel
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper (I've been really into this color this winter)

I was already late getting out of the house this morning. It's cold and I knew the shirtdress alone wasn't going to cut it. I know, I said, I'll do that adorable thing where you put the sweater over the dress with the collar sticking out. You know, this. Here are the sweaters I attempted to make work: Harrogate, the above referenced Chuck, Happy, Josefin, and then I went to cardigans, Aidez, Darling Emma, Moody, before deciding that my Owls sweater was the least crappy. I do not know why this look does not work on me. The problems are manifold: the collar never stays in place and the dress or shirt underneath constantly rides up with basic movement; often the back of the collar gets swallowed by the back of the sweater; the shoulders never fit right and there's either too much or too little room in the armpits; the length is never right and it looks as though I just didn't care enough to get dressed like a grownup. This is really really sad for me because I would love to rock this look. Layering is cool as well as really smart for crappy weather, but any time I have ever tried any from of layering, I just feel as though I would have looked better had I not tried so hard.

On the other hand, I've really embraced the shirtdress this year. I think I've purchased 5 in the past 18 months having not had one at all since the 8th grade. Some of them are, as my husband will tell you, too short to be worn, but he's kind of conservative and it's why god invented opaque tights. This one from Brooks Brothers was an especial coup as it had been so popular they had to do a second run and I still waited for it to go on sale (please don't ask me why I thought $98 was too much for this rather well made dress, but I did, and I persevered). Blackwatch is likely my favorite of the plaids and while there was an AMAZING Ralph Lauren silk chiffon blackwatch plaid dress with a peter pan collar that I was very smitten with, it was much more expensive and it sold out before I had a chance to nab a sale one. I like the shirtdress because it is the very definition of a double duty piece (do you ever notice a trend with me?). I originally had this dress on with my Frye boots in brown when, of all people, my husband said it would be better with either Mary Janes or loafers. So, I kid you not, I tried on two colors of Mary Janes (both not quite right according to the mister) and then these loafers, before considering the outfit done.

I'm wondering now if I'm one of those people they make the afterthought collar necklaces for: all the fun of a visible collar, none of the constant readjusting.