Not The Boss Of Me

Sweater: Effervesence Cardigan by Olga Buraya-Kefelian; madelinetosh pasmina in citrus; my notes and modifications on Darling Clementine
Dress: Lilly Pulitzer; not a lot from Lilly this season that's similar save this one, however check out this Jessica Simpson and this A.B.S. for your strapless summer needs
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; I would seriously buy ALL of the following orange sandals if I could justify it: floral lace heels by Kurt Geiger, espadrille wedges by Charles David, this brand doesn't fit me well but I still think they're great Schutz strappy sandals, trying to find any justification to buying these Charlotte Olympia sky high platforms which are available in my size and my size only, these amazing and bizarre MSGM mixed media-looking things, and these reasonable high and reasonably priced Lauren by Ralph Lauren multi-colored jobs
Lips: Yves Saint-Laurent Volupte Tint-in-Oil in Crush Me Orange
Toes: Essie in Blanc

Only a dreadful spoilsport would advise against matching one's cardigan, shoes, and lip color. And I am not a dreadful spoilsport. I am a woman who is deeply deeply pleased that winter is over, that summer is coming, that this dress still fits me despite a metabolic catastrophe that not even 30 days of consecutive sweatyoga can arrest (and I am not pregnant, this I know), that I actually do look decent in orange lip gunk, that I am about to go on vacation. Everything is pretty much coming up Millhouse.

I still kinda hate cardigans, though. I am nearing the end of the body on my Grace, the cardigan everyone I am friends with already has and which I needed to have to so that I could fit in. I tried knitting it a size bigger (which will also help since I am at least a size bigger myself) and I've determined that anything below high hip for a cardigan I plan to wear with dresses is too long. Still, I have a bunch of fingering weight lying around the house and I have been toying with the idea of turning some of it into a cardigan design. If I try to make myself a cardigan from the ground up and I still hate it, I can just write off cardigans (tailored cardigans at least, there is still plenty of room for gee it's cold in here cardigans) altogether. So I've been looking at stitch dictionaries and trying to assess what I hate about my existing goes-with-dresses cardigans. Here's a short list:

• Neck too high
• Neck too low
• Shoulders all kinds of arsed up
• Fronts too narrow --> button band gaping
• Fronts successfully wide enough, back ridculously oversized
• Too precious
• Non-uniform length all around
• Terrible button band ribbing at complete odds with aesthetic vibe of the rest of the sweater

As I regard this cardigan, I think I might find it the perfect length and am now pretty sad I didn't bring Grace to work because I could know right now, at this very second, if it was long enough to start ribbing. I also worry about a design element that will be pleasing to the eye, interesting enough to knit, but not prohibitive in its application: some stuff is just too cutesy for the boardroom. I know people love allover lace patterns, but in addition to their making the garment less warm, I also feel like allover lace looks "knitterly" for lack of a better word. Unless it's crochet and it's boho, you don't see a lot of allover lace in fashion. I'm pretty sure there's a reason for that.

So I'm in the thinking stage of a cardigan. I have two lovely SQs, one from Western Sky Knits and one from Plucky, both of which would make perfectly nice cardigans. I'll let you know how that progresses. In the meantime, All Hail Orange!

Off Duty

Sweater: Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah Fettig; madelinetosh tosh merino in antler; my notes and modifications on Acadian
Blouse: Everlane modern silk point collar shirt in navy; similar styles by Theory, Joe Fresh, and Ralph Lauren
Jeans: Madewell Alley Straight (different color); I'm also a fan of Old Navy's Sweetheart style
Shoes: Sperry Top-Sider Hayden loafer; similar styles by Bass and Cole Haan
Lips: Rosebud Salve

Yes Virginia, there is a casual Yelena. Truth be told, chez moi we much preferred this outfit without the sweater, but as I explained to my husband, the blog is about styling knitwear...

I have such mixed feeings about this sweater. I trot it out a lot despite the sleeves that are too tiny, the shoulders that despite modification fall off, and the overall look which is more than a little bit dowdy. However, it's a warm, white cardigan. It has merit. It has uses. I just sometimes wish I also had the long johns I feel it ought to go with and the mountain chalet to wear both while trapising about.

I do NOT have mixed feelings about this shirt. This shirt is amazing. This shirt will be coming to live with me in several more colors. I know I wax rhapsodic about Everlane while hocking my invite link and I feel not really at all bad about that. Their stuff is amazing! For a long time, they only had two long-sleeved shirt options: rounded collar with set-in sleeves or pointed collar with raglan sleeves. Can you see why I hadn't bought one yet? When I saw that they were offering pointed collar with set-in sleeves, it took me zero time to hit the buy button. That they had it in navy was just a bonus. That I selected the right size was bonus x2. That my husband made googly eyes at me when he saw it on? Bonus x3. This shirt is full of bonus.

I'm also becoming more and more partial to my Madewell Alley Straights. The one problem I have with them is that they are, definitively, too bulky to tuck into booties, but I think I'll survive. As for the flats, they just sort of worked. I wear my top-siders a lot when I'm not doing much of anything. I pack them for after yoga class, wear them to get a pedicure, take them on vacation (dear god that all sounds so repulsivley privileged I might just barf). They're kick around shoes and I can't ever see myself wearing them professionally. That being said, I'm delighted I have them for kicking around.

Finally, just for the record, I'd like to say that I acknowledge that this is a preternaturally good photo of me. The 47 others were not like this one. This one captured everything I always want to be in jeans and everything I am pretty sure I'm not. It's the Ricky Lauren look of my sartorial fantasies and I have no shame about publishing it to the internet pretending it's actually what I look like.

A Promise is a Promise

Sweater: Grandpa Cardigan by Joji Locatelli; Swans Island All American Worsted in Kelp; my self-recrimination and complaining on Spirogyra
Jeans: Madewell Alley Straight in Harrison; how about the waterfall color?
Shoes: Target. Seriously.
Lips: Dolce and Gabbana passion duo gloss fusion lipstick in Sensual and Bobbi Brown high shimmer lip gloss in Hot

I somehow managed not to get photos of this while it was 2014, though it was finished then. Not for Rhinebeck, mind you, but it was finished. And I'd like to take this opportunity to 2015 Resolve not to knit any more cardigans until I can figure out if I wear cardigans (the one exception is Grace because it is a WIP I want to finish). So let's get some apologies out of the way: the pattern is terrific,, mostly intuitive, and fun; the yarn is amazing and I can't wait to get more. But this sweater is not me. This sweater is only me when I am sad and sick and cold. When I am wearing jeans and my Dalton t-shirt and am working from home because I worked until 11:30pm last night and didn't want to have to schlep to the office in the cold and now snow. This sweater is neither me nor my lifestyle despite the face that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SWEATER.



So instead let's talk about my hair. My other 2015 resolution was to start treating my hair with the same love and care that I treat my skin. Like most women, I have never been happy with my hair. Why I should have been granted both hair that is thin to the point of needing intervention, yet frizzy, is an issue I intend to bring up with the universe when I meet it, but in the meantime, there are things I can do. I had already tried the at-home cures: I wash my hair very very infrequently, I condition it a lot, occasionally, I even style it, but it wasn't cutting it, so when I read an article about a keratin process that is designed especially for people who want to retain the natural body of their hair and don't want the harsh chemicals of a full keratin treatment, I started doing some research. At a salon in Manhattan is a guy who developed something called the Zero Frizz Quickie: it's keratin, but without the formaldehyde. I looked for before and after photos of women who had hair similar to mine, found one, sucked it up, and made the appointment. I then spent some time rationalizing the cost by reminding myself that I don't color my hair and don't really spend any money on it at all save the 3ish times per year I have it cut.

Well these are the results. This hair got a scalp treatment this morning, followed by a single pump of serum, and was then rough dried. No brush, no mousse, no flat iron. Just me, my conair $30 hairdryer, and my hands. After a lifetime of sad hair, this has been the most amazing thing ever. True, it is the very first few days, but if this lasts the 6-8 weeks promised (though the stylist said that my shitty flat thin hair might retain the effects up to 4 months, so that would be nicely compensatory), it is so worth the price because I am not sad about my hair. And now that winter is officially upon us with its cold, dark bleakness, I need all the happy I can find.

Red and Green

Sweater: Vivian by Ysolda Teague; madelinetosh erin in tart; my notes and modifications on The Misty/Kerri Fangirl Sweater
Skirt: Vintage Burberry; similar styles by Zac Posen and at Ann Taylor
Shirt (which I don't know if you can see): Everlane
Shoes: Prada and if you're a size 8 1/2, we can be complete twinsies!; similar styles by Chie Mihara and Tory Burch
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

Merry Christmas, everyone! As an adult adopter of this holiday, I feel comfortable wishing people of all beliefs a Merry Christmas as I have determined that it is incredibly easy to overlook all religious significance, if one so chooses, to focus on the more universal peace on earth, goodwill towards men part. Christmas owns! My sad menorah just looks lackluster next to our awesome festive tree. Since I get all misty at this time of year, I have included, for my nostalgia and your amusement, the poem recited at my school for our holiday celebration - which was 100% pagan and amazing - at the end of this post. If I could convince my husband to celebrate a Very Druid Winter Festival each year I would, but Christmas makes an excellent runner-up.

I don't know why I haven't bothered to make another Vivian; or rather finish another Vivian. Because of my many WIPs is a lovely eventual Vivian. I love this sweater despite the pattern's problems (you will never manage to get the sleeves right without divine intervention or the mother of all blockings). I don't mind wearing it with work clothing, and it's perfect with jeans For the record: had I not managed to arse up putting buttons on my Grandpa cardigan, I would have shown it off for this post, but come to think of it, it looked terrible with a skirt and only good with jeans which, yet again, is a reminder that Yelena + cardigans does not equal a marriage made in heaven.

The skirt and shoes are new additions to the wardrobe and both are delightful deals. The skirt I found by following a pinterest link of a gorgeous vintage dress. While poking around on the site, Hemlock Vintage, I found the skirt for about $50 and immediately snapped it up because I love a good tweed. The shoes are from my new favorite obsession, The Real Real, an online consignment shop that puts ebay to shame. So far, I have purchased two pair of shoes from them at outrageous markdown and they both have arrived looking barely worn. Highly recommend. Unless you are trying to save your pennies, in which case run.

I figure everyone will be busy these next two weeks with holiday frolicking, so I won't bore you with posts until the new year (at which point the grandpa button problem ought to have been solved). Whatever you are celebrating, may it be happy and healthy, and thank you so much for reading.

The Candlelighting Poem by Nancy Cardoza (who, coincidentally, passed away this year at the age of 94)

In the season of the sun's rebirth
on the eve of the winter solstice
I consecrate this house
with light.

Build your house upon the Hill of Truth
and may the cornerstone be clean of ornament
that it give a strong foundation to the walls.

Even as the Doorway of the Dawn,
may your doorway be beautiful
that the angels of Starlight and Sunlight
may enter thereunder with spread wings.

And may the light of your window be wide
for the wisdom of the soul abides
in the mansions of the sky.

May the roof of your dwelling be Love;
the Sentinel, the wing of the Archangel
the Great Fire.

The winter solstice is holy with candles
which are bright
as the fruit of the holly
or as children's prayers,
for in the light of little things
the soul has its dawning
and is reborn.

*

Metal, right?

Reading the Fine Print

Sweater: Audrey in Unst by Gudrun Johnston; madelinetosh dk twist in onyx; my notes and modifications on Indispensable
Dress: Alice + Olivia - and wait, it's your lucky day if you a) want one just like it and b) are one size smaller than I am because I didn't read the fine print and now own two. Got it on sale for 70% retail (meaning a $700 dress is only $200) and I'll throw the shipping in for free! Otherwise it's off to online consignment with it
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; similar styles at Gucci - and those are a great deal, Casadei also on sale, and Sergio Rossi yet again on sale - good time to buy red pumps, it seems
Lips: Dolce and Gabbana passion duo gloss fusion lipstick in Infatuation

So sometimes a sale isn't all it's cracked up to be: like when you don't notice that it's a "final" sale, so that dress you bought in two sizes to see which one would fit is now a dress you own in two sizes. Serious about selling the size 4...

But I love this dress even though this picture is rather terrible and the shadowing makes it look like I neither have a waist nor a complexion - this is the danger of photographing yourself as you are rushing to get to work ad picking the best of a number of terrible photos because you really want to tell everyone about your dress which you bought ages ago, but are only now getting around to wearing (let's not go into why you've had two of the same dress for months without trying to offload one). But this is a festive dress and it's a festive time which, despite last week's scrooginess, I am totally up for. Probably because we got our tree yesterday. And exchanged our ornaments (and, for the record, the one my husband got me was amazing and handmade). And I am done with all my Christmas (Chanukah) shopping.

What I am coming around to, however, and I know I've touched on it before, is that I think I am not a cardigan person. Or not a this kind of cardigan person. The fitted cardigan, so adorable and wonderful on so so many people, especially with cool full-skirted dresses like this one, has ceased to make me happy. I mean, look at how the top left of the cardigan is folded over on itself and totally unpolished? They all do that and it drives me insane. It looks sloppy and I don't know how to counteract it. How much better would this have looked with a blazer?!?

This cardigan aversion is particularly disturbing since I used part of the weekend to, at last, finish my Rhinebeck sweater (that's Rhinebeck 2014, mind you) which had only needed its button band put on. It's blocking now, and while it's a longer, less precious cardigan, I just look at it and wonder when it will ever be worn, and with what. My husband says it will be especially useful when I need to dress up as a couch (it's a particularly lovely shade of 1970s pukegreencouch, but he's not altogether wrong about its eventual utility. Which brings me to another development of the weekend: that Cromarty I discussed last week? I think I may have come around to the idea of frogging it. I will never wear it, I will be able to repurpose the yarn, and this means I won't have to knit a belt which I'm really not into.

Looking Ahead, Part 2 - Works in (sort of) Progress

Is it strange to be looking ahead when I have two sweaters in the super-active queue already?

The hot pink sweater came off the needles and went straight to the blocking boards Tuesday night which meant that a navy sweater got cast-on Wednesday evening.

I have vowed to get some WIPs taken care of in the new year. I start way too many sweater and then just abandon them. There's really no rhyme or reason to how this happens: both fingering and aran sweaters, both cardigans and pullovers, both plain and advanced, there's no rhyme or reason as to why one sweater gets started and finished almost without break and others spend years in the WIP pile.

My Fisher Queen WIP is in the lovely madelinetosh erin (which I hoard as a rule) in thoreau

and it is going to look excellent with my J. Crew cream colored wool mini skirt

and it's early to the waist of the body AND on super big needles! I have no excuse not to power through it.

Or how about the ubiquitous (in my social knitting circle) Grace? It's in one of my favorite colors, madelinetosh's brothers grimm (whose discontinuation god himself can't explain), will perfectly match one of my fave summer dresses from Anthropologie

and be amazing with nearly everything else I own (ok so I own several dresses from Anthro that will go well with a cardigan)

AND I solved my problem with the cardigan which is that I didn't like the plain shoulders next to the lace rest of it so mine has lace all over the yoke. It is also finished to around my waist.

There is no reason, I repeat no reason, why I don't have a finished Cocktail(Dress). I am making it in the phenomenally amazing Duck Duck Wool Singleton in metalware and this photograph DOES NOT DO THE YARN JUSTICE

because the yarn legit glows. To prevent attention from being drawn away from this awesomeness, I've used madelinetosh merino light in onyx and dirty panther, aka black and as dark as grey can be without being black, as the contrast colors. It's so friggin' cool. To say nothing of the fact that this is a wheelhouse dress like no other - I own at least 1 million pairs of shoes that would go with this (1 million might be a slight exaggeration, but I do own quite a number of shoes I can wear with this dress). Including, should they go on super duper extra holycrap sale, these eminently covetable (and seriously unaffordable) Gucci booties which, I assure you, look ridonkulous on.


On another tangent, do you ever find that while you love a designer, you haven't actually managed to knit any of her (or his) patterns? This is my monumental problem with Julia Trice (aka mindofwinter). I have stashed for her patterns, swatched for her patterns, and the closest I've come to knitting any of her patterns is the 3/4 of the yoke of Yukiya Pullover that sits in a pile with the other accusatory WIPs. And again, I couldn't be more fond of my yarn choices: I'm using various Buggas in grey, black, and red - so again, just my kinda thing. I think I'll don a cheapo black tank dress from H&M or Forever 21

(this is among the best 7-13 bucks you can spend - I own gobs of these cheap, disposable dresses which are totally camouflaged by a blazer and completely wonderful on the kinds of vacations I take - size up, this stuff is made for tweens - in fact, I took a break from writing this to purchase 5 more), and wear booties or knee-high boots.

I wasn't going to admit to all the WIPs I want to get through in 2015, but I think it will keep me honest, so here goes. I've had Cromarty on the needles since 2012 and despite the fact that I'm making it in a decidedly purple yarn,

no longer have the black pants it would go with (they were from Uniqlo and died a sad, though not wholly unexpected, death-by-hole), and really don't know when I will ever wear it, I feel compelled to finish it. This, realistically, might not get done in 2015.

The same cannot be said for Birchbark which I would happily have worn today with my flippy bcbgeneration skirt

and my riding boots

and which is going to make me so happy in this wonderful Polo & Co. neutral,

so why is it not already mine?!? I would also wear it with the jeans I need to buy from Old Navy

now that I know the secret to Old Navy jeans is to bring 10 pair of the same size into the dressing room and buy the one that actually fits because their quality control is shite.

And finally, 2015 will be a WIP success if Northdale becomes reality. I have a couple of inches knit and it's so much fun, but also tedious, time consuming, and not something I can do mindlessly. I also don't know what I'll wear it with, though guessing a navy skirt isn't the most ridiculous guess one could have.

I'd also like to say that there won't be a Part 3 of this series, but there will be, because we haven't tackled things I want for 2015 that I have managed not to cast on and abandon - and believe me, I have a list for that too.

I Am A Lying Liar

Sweater: Audrey in Unst by Gudrun Johnston; madelinetosh dk twist in onyx; my notes and modifications on Indispensable
Dress: Dorothy Perkins; similar styles at H&M, ASOS, and Kohl's
Belt: ASOS; similar styles by Mango and Lafayette 148
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Apostrophy pumps; more wallet-friendly options by bcbgmaxazria and Schutz
Lips: Bobbi Brown high shimmer lip gloss in Hot
Nails: Essie in chinchilly with matte topcoat
Hair: I PROMISE I'M TAKING CARE OF THIS

I was all bluster and promise, wasn't I? Oh, you're going to be totally amazed by my amazing outfit and new sweater and it's going to be totally off the hook and OMGPONIES! Funny thing. I finished the sweater last night - it's awesome, by the way - and then took a look at the designer's email which asked her testers, politely, if they would refrain from posting photos of the sweater until its release. So....no photos for you until the release and no superfantastic matching outfit for me.

I wanted to use this time, instead, to discuss fast fashion since I seem to spend a lot of time discussing why you should forego this month's mortgage payment in favor of a new pair of shoes. I adore fast fashion. And I kind of hate all the people who have taken to bashing it and linking it to our conspicuous consumption culture and rape of the earth. And if you'll allow me to skirt politics for a moment, I'll try to explain in an apolitical way. There's a New York chef who holds a place in my heart for a) being a fellow alum of my high school, b) giving my brother a job at his super fancy restaurant while my brother was still in college, c)serving delicious, farm fresh, free-range, fair trade, blah blah blah blah blah food without making you want to stab him in the face with his own sharpened self-righteousness. Since he was the beneficiary of such a stellar education, you can find him writing about his food and farm and such and you know what stuck out for me most? When he said that the only reason he free range fair trades organicohydroponicoantibioticfreeomegawhatevers is that it TASTES BETTER. Not to put words in his mouth (and I'm not going to identify him just in case I'm grossly misinterpreting him), but he more or less said that he might be all in favor of eating lab-grown four-assed monkey if that happened to taste good. That his food is better for the environment/people's health is icing on a delicious cake. And I kind of feel the same way. If the apple from Stop & Shop tasted as good as the apple from Whole Foods, I'd be buying it at half the price; I shop at, and defend the practice of shopping at, Whole Foods not because it's an important part of my insufferable yuppie identity, but because the shit I buy there is, for the most part, better than the shit I buy elsewhere.

So how does that relate to fast fashion? I think I mentioned it yesterday. Over the past 20 or so years, the shit one buys at Banana Republic or J. Crew is NOT better than the shit one buys at H&M, Forever 21, ASOS, etc. It just happens to be 4-10x the price. To me, shopping at J. Crew full price would be like buying a mealy apple from Whole Foods. If my apple's going to be mealy regardless of where I buy it, I might as well buy the cheap one. This Dorothy Perkins dress is terrible (and would it not have cost me almost as much to return it as it did to purchase it in the first place, I would have done so - word to the wise: DO NOT buy from Dorothy Perkins unless you are positive you want the thing you're buying). See that incredibly flattering shelf on top of what looks to be my boobs? I didn't just grow a second set of boobs over my existing set, nor am I wearing a fantastically crappy bra. No, that's the facing on this dress and I'm seriously considering cutting it out (since I only noticed how terrible it was while looking at the photos - but much like my increasingly erratic hair, I like to paint a picture of myself that approximates accurate and I have hair this terrible for real). The obi belt (more on that in a moment) is obscuring the fact that while, in the online photo, the pattern mostly matched going across the seam that separates bodice from skirt, my particular dress has no such aspirations. Long story short, this is a terrible dress. It was also a $25 dress. Thing is, I look at clothing all the time in stores where things cost more than $25 and these problems still exist (the failure to pattern match is of special offense to me because it basically says that while it would only cost the company a dollar AT MOST (in wasted fabric) to match the pattern, you're not worth that dollar now shut up and eat your shit that you just paid $300 for). So when someone on (and I single out this outfit because I happen to have heard a diatribe about fast fashion here on two separate occasions) NPR tells me that I ought to care about where my clothing comes from and not buy from fast fashion stores, I want to set that person on fire - or take her on a tour of what passes for "quality clothing" in all but the highest end of brands. Now it would be nice if my closet was filled with Dolce & Gabbana dresses, but I will likely never own one unless I find it at a thrift store because I don't have $3500 for a dress. So when the blazer at Zara is just as good as the blazer at J. Crew, I'm always buying the Zara one because it is ALWAYS less than half the price. Sometimes, though, you can get really lucky. This belt, which I still don't know how to style on a waist as short as mine, but which I deeply deeply wanted, is a super find. It was less than $40 and it's made of real leather. I don't know how that happens unless it was a sick or somehow inferior cow. I got it at ASOS and while ASOS is a crapshoot when it comes to what you get vs. what you thought you were getting (do not buy any of their items made from "ponte" which is code for t-shirt material which can be sourced at Forever 21 or H&M for far less), you can often find pretty quality stuff there.

I happen to like the earth and its resources. I happen to care about the welfare of people not in my immediate social circle. I happen to also know that the cat is out of the bag. Much like we're not all going to give up our cars and ride bikes so the choices are - wait the CHOICE is - find an alternative to fossil fuels so we can keep driving, the solution to the problem of finite resources to make clothing and the deplorable conditions many who make that clothing suffer is not NO MORE CLOTHING FOR ANYONE, but advocating for better choices within the existing system - ok so that might be a little political, sorry it's election day, stop reading this and go vote.

On The Outside Looking In

it's raining, apologies for the terrible indoor photos - my house COULD NOT BE MORE YELLOW

Sweater: Aidez by Cirilia Rose; madelinetosh erin in antique lace; my notes and modifications on Vieux Dentelle
Dress: Alice + Olivia; similar style for this season
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik black patent, open-toe d'orsay pumps (that was a mouthful); similar style by Via Spiga, on sale for the big-footed by Gianmarco Lorenzi, and absolutely not on sale by Christian Louboutin
Toes: OPI A Roll in the Hague
Lips: Bobbi Brown Art Stick in Rose Brown

Take a look on Ravelry at the sweater patterns with the most projects and those deemed most popular and you'll notice something: there are A TON of open front cardigans. I'm wearing one today and I have made more than a few others. I would say that you can't swing a cat (and knitters love them some cats) in a room full of knitters without hitting at least half a dozen open front cardigans. I know knitters who describe their open front cardigans as THEIR FAVORITE SWEATER. And I am saying now, on September 16th, that I still don't understand why.

I assure you that the dress I'm wearing underneath my Aidez is really really pretty - I mean look how cute it is and, I would argue that my slightly more exaggerated hourglass shape is flattered even more by it than on this blonde famous person I feel certain I am supposed to recognize. And this wasn't the dress I intended to wear today. I had my DVF Kaley dress on at first until I realized that (and I'm so glad there are no disagree buttons on my blog): open front cardigans look terrible with anything approaching a structured outfit. They're just sloppy full stop. Which is fine with jeans or a housedress or that drop-waisted flannel dress they keep trying to sell you at Madewell that you keep refusing to entertain because you are no longer in high school and besides you already tried on a pair of Doc Martens laceups and remembered that they weren't flattering the first time around because you have small, autonomous islands for feet.

But I can be more accommodating. You know where else open front cardigans look ok? On the bodies of people without breasts and hips. And I'm not saying that pejoratively. If you have a slender-hipped figure with proportional breasts, open front cardigans are a-ok on you. Because they neither stubbornly refuse to remain firmly on the outside of your bust, nor do they flare out ridiculously when they meet your hips. Much like jeans and tucked in white button downs, I might have to come to terms with the fact that the open front cardigan will never be part of my weekday wardrobe. I always think I look sloppy and I always think the outfit would look better with a more tailored piece.

Now part of this is also the fault of my wardrobe in that it is long on flared dresses and straight skirts; had I more shifts, it's possible I would be less confused by what to do with my open front cardigans. However, even with the cute shirtdress I originally photographed for the Aidez FO shots, there's still a degree of not-quite-polished that upsets me. What is more upsetting is that there are a number of open front cardigan patterns I both like AND want to make: Kara, slanted Sleeven, Soubrette - though the last one I have way higher hopes for since there is an accompanying hip flare in the pattern that looks as though it might fit over both my capacious hips and flared skirts.

The other part of the problem could well be sizing - perhaps given my shape, I should knit a size larger, but dear god, what if that isn't the answer? Then I have an even sloppier FO and I'm ragey because I spent time making it and I could have had a lovely pullover instead. But I think what makes me really feel like the last kid picked on the dodgeball team is that I seem to be 100% alone in this view. Both knitters I know in person and those I only see online have love affairs with this style. Sometimes I think their FOs look lovely, but more of the time I feel like the mom admonishing her kids to tuck in their shirts. I, personally, cannot do sloppy-chic, but I don't think most of the population can. So I'll spend the day fidgeting with Aidez and searching both my brain and the ravelry database, for cardigans more suited to me lifestyle.

P.S. Who the hell drew on my dining room wall? I have a pretty strict no children-with-crayons rule.

Urban Safari and The End of an Era

Sweater: Moody by Elena Nodel; madelinetosh 80/10/10 worsted MCN in dust bowl; my notes and modifications on Safari Moods
Dress: White House Black Market fit and flare black bandage dress; similar styles at Guess, House of Fraser, and of course if you want the original, Herve Leger
Belt: Madewell leopard belt; similar styles from J. Crew and Ralph Lauren
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; the pair I almost bought to replace them and a more budget-friendly yet still quality pair by Schutz, you'll have to wait to see the ones I did buy...
Bracelet: Silver bangle from Tiny Sparkle Studio
Lips: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in Aubergine N50 that I actually applied with my fingertip like the magazines say you should when you just want it to look like a stain - god, being a woman take a lot of effort

I was pretty positive I needed a leopard belt. The only belts I currently own are the polyurethane ones that accompany dresses I've bought and three of my mom's from the 70s. I haven't owned a belt of my own that was just a belt since high school. Don't ask me why, I don't have a good answer. So as part of The Adulting, I decided to intentionally buy a belt. And I love this belt, but it's been in the house over a month and hadn't been worn yet. Because it actually is a big deal for a gal like me to intentionally wear leopard. Also the belt was too big and didn't do that thing belts should do which is cinch the waist (the belt experienced a post-photography trip to the shoemaker and now fits). So how to style a leopard belt without going overboard? While leopard is a neutral, I firmly believe this, I thought I would start small and pair it with a simple black dress. But then I didn't feel like wearing a black blazer with my black dress, so I opened a tub of sweaters (for all interested parties, yes, I store my sweaters in huge plastic tubs from The Container Store - I've filled five of them; not the sweater boxes, the one called Jumbo Box! Nota bene: the majority of my shoes live in these same boxes, but the shoe sized ones) and decided to see if my Safari Moods sweater would do the trick.

The problem with this sweater is that I both love it AND I find it goes with nothing. It's got the big floppy, occasionally stand-up collar, the buttons that don't go all the way down, the short sleeves that are shorter than other short-sleeved things. It rarely makes it into the rotation even though I really like it (and worked on it when I personally went on safari so it's got good juju). Yet it works with this outfit. It's got a little of the leopard vibe without being over the top and the oversized collar contributes to the devil-may-care attitude of the outfit. And it's safari colored. I am a huge Out Of Africa nerd and go through phases where I want to look like original Banana Republic all the time, despite the fact that I live in a place that sees a distinct lack of impala and a distinct surfeit of ice and snow.



I am happy to give a shout out to Tiny Sparkle Studio on etsy who made the cool bangle and say it is the first, but by no means the last, purchase I make there. The bangle is light, simple, and perfectly my speed. I was really excited that it looked as good on my wrist as it did in the photo and at a really reasonable price. More bangles please!

And now the shoes.

Dear Manolo Blahnik Classic Black Pumps,

When you came into my life during the winter 2000 sale and I was so happy to have you, I never realized we would have so much time together, nor did I know how sad I would feel when it came time to retire you. Yes, I didn't treat you right all the time. I walked in rainstorms, on grass, and without hosiery; while I had you continuously reshod and heeled, I probably ought to have had you polished more than once a year. You went with everything and never objected to walking miles at a time. Though your heel could have been 1/2" higher like the camel pair that preceded you, you were the perfect black pump in a world where perfection is rare. I will admit that I asked the woman at the shoe place could she do anything for you, and I will spend the money to see what can be done, but your replacement has been purchased. At a high cost, both financially and emotionally, and we will no longer be to one another what we once were. You gave me 14 years of life, thereby justifying the idea of an investment shoe, and your successor has (dear god I can't believe I'm about to unironically say this) big shoes to fill. The new pumps are different. They're the naughty girl side of classic and I will likely wonder every time I wear them if that was the right decision, but it was time to move on, and so I shall, albeit much poorer than I was before you needed replacing. Fare thee well, oh shoes of mine, I shall not consign you to the garbage bin, but rather stick you in the top of the closet, a memorial to our collective lost youth.

With warmth and affection,

Yelena

The New Monochrome

Sweater: Capricious by Elena Nodel; Cephalopod Yarns Bugga in Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly (have I mentioned how heartbroken I am about the CY closing?); my notes and modifications on "Disraeli Blues"
Dress: Jason Wu for Target. Yes, I was one of those people who stood in line to by a Target capsule collection. If you did not wait on line, here's the thing: the dress is terribly made. I love it, but it's clearly disposable clothing. And while you can't swing a cat without hitting a black fit and flare dress, here are some I like: Shoshana's ribbon fabric variation, this boatneck dress from French Connection, and holy crap, they're giving this Banana Republic one away - despite the iffy reviews I'm nabbing a couple of sizes because if it works, it's a 30 dollar dress!
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik pink suede ankle strap sandals. A quick note on shoe substitution: I know that my shoes are not cheap. I know not everyone agrees that shoes should be such an investment. I happen to believe that if given the choice between 10 $60 pairs of cheaply made shoes with cheap material and 1 $600 pair of perfect, well-made shoes, you choose the 1 pair. So when I offer alternate styles, they're generally only from brands I trust, which are frequently expensive, though I try to find sales. After having personal bouts of bad luck with Steve Madden and Nine West, I just don't believe in the quality enough to recommend it, because even if something's only $75 that's still $75 you had to earn and you shouldn't just throw it away. That being said, if money is no object, I adore these Dolce & Gabbanas, and if you're a size 10, the deal on these Pedro Garcias can't be beat, while there are still some sizes remaining of the Proenza Schouler embellished sandals
Toes: Butter London in Royal Navy. I was going to try Essie's After School Boy Blazer, but the navy of this one is much truer.
Lips: Clinique Different Lipstick in Shy
Scarf: Giorgio Armani, similar style in blue and more reasonable alternative by Michael Stars

Everything is always the new black, but I've never been a believer. I adore navy. Adore it. Don't know why I came to my love of navy late in life, but now I want everything in navy. But not the things I want in black. see what I mean? Navy is Riviera cool, black is SoHo cool. There's a place for both, but I will never want a navy evening gown with a plunging neckline, nor will I want a black twill jacket. But monochrome, which traditionally referred to black and white uniformity, has a little more wiggle room. The dress is definitely black, but with a grey sweater, light pink - almost nude - shoes, a scarf with hints of apricot and aubergine, and navy toes, there's a diversity to the neutrals that I think works really well together. It's a bit pointillist in its execution where, from far away the colors are all of a type, but when examined more closely, there's a lot more going on.



As I mentioned, I've been on vacation for the past week and a half and vacation me is a lot different from work me. Vacation me doesn't wear makeup (I used my tinted lip balm with spf twice), doesn't shampoo her hair (I think of it as hair detox), and certainly doesn't wear her high heels. Vacation me went diving and surfing and hiking. This outfit is comforting in that it didn't take a lot of thought. That's the virtue of the monochromatic palette - it's intuitive. Everything goes with black, so it's just a question of reaching into one's closet and pulling out those things. For that week after vacation when your brain is still on the beach but your butt is solidly in an office chair, easy is good. And the reason my face is all grimace-y in the photos is not that I'm angry, it's that I'm trying not to quint at the sun.

Follow Friday | July 25

So how did this thing get started anyway?

I blame Gayle and Sharlene. You may know them as The Yarniacs. Their bi-weekly (and that's the bi-weekly that's every other week, not twice a week) podcast is a delightful bit of voyeurism into the lives of two friends and their knitting. They also have started doing interviews with members of the kniteratti, reviews of books, and discussions of sheep breeds and dyeing. Last year during the summer, they hosted a knitalong on ravelry called The Colors of Fall, inspired by the seasonal release of the Pantone colors. It was a resounding success, especially as it asked participants not just to knit something from the autumn color palette, but to style it. Seeing how people all around the world were wearing their handknits was wonderful. So I'm thrilled they're doing it again this year (even as my own project has been hibernating).

Now Gayle and Sharlene are West Coast girls through and through and I fully admit to the more than occasional ribbing of their casual ways because casual for me means something entirely different. Case in point: it's casual Friday at my admittedly all-the-time casual workplace. Me: I've swapped my weekday blazers for a daring casual Friday long cardigan. But yes, I'm still wearing heels (and full disclosure, had I at all managed to get through the morning ritual in a decent amount of time, I would have snapped a couple of shots of my outfit. Apologies. If you'd like to imagine what I'm wearing, it's my Darling Emma, Cheyenne, a blue shirtdress from Mango (kind of like this one), my mom's kickass vintage YSL tortoise shell chain belt (which I'm kind of amazed I found with a google search of "tortoise shell chain belt ysl"), and a pair of Manolo Blahnik wine-colored suede sandals (not quite like these Brian Atwood's or like these from Express, but you get the idea). So a couple of weeks ago when they mentioned me on the podcast (which by the way, makes you feel like a million bucks) and said that while "normal" people wouldn't wear such and such a thing, Yelena would, I took that as a challenge to show just how normal I can be, fashion-wise. So you can all blame Gayle and Sharlene for being bored by the contents of my closet.

Because, and if I might get preachy for a moment, even in a vacuum when no one is around, not your husband/boyfriend/wife/girlfriend/other object of your affection, not the women in your office or the moms outside your kids' schools, not the gas station attendant, the barista, or your family, looking good feels good. I hear from women about how good they feel in their casual clothing when they just don't have to care how they look, but I argue that when you look at yourself in the mirror having taken even 5 minutes to put yourself together, you feel better than when you're eating fritos out of the bag while wearing yoga pants with a hole in the knee. Yes, there's a middle ground, of course there is, and by showing what a casual friday looks like in stilettos, I'm not necessarily advocating everyone do that - but maybe don't go to work without a swipe of mascara.

In conclusion, no matter what your personal style, knit for it! And knit for it during the second annual Colors of Fall knitalong. This season's color weren't my favorite, but I will, eventually, finish a second Hey Girl Cardigan in Wollmeise DK Bussi.

Follow Friday | July 18, 2014

Sweater: Nora by Linda Marveng; Polo & Co Masgot Fine in gres; my notes and modifications on "Distaff"
Skirt: Loft black pencil skirt
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik (similar style in suede, in patent leather and on sale by Cole Haan)
Nails: Butter London Lady Muck



Sweater: Tyrol Jacket by Linda Marveng; madelinetosh LEDK (no longer available) in baltic; my notes and modifications on "Brenner Pass"
Skirt: French Connection black ruffled hem skirt (similar by Tibi (also in orange!!!!) and H&M)
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik black leather knee high boots (ok, so I realize the boots I'm about to link cost more than most people's monthly rents/mortgages - it is legitimately insane. Full disclosure: I bought mine for $575 at the 1/2 off sale in January of 2001 and they are THE BEST SHOES I OWN. If they were whisked off to another dimension, I WOULD spend $1500 to replace them. I would not eat for a year and/or sublet my home and sleep in my car - your mileage may vary; this pair is not exactly what I have and I like mine better, but just so you can see what's out there; I will say that if you are going to buy a staple such as these boots, DO buy them from a respected designer. If you take care of them, they will last forever and will look so much better than the pair you bought at Nine West for $200 which will fall apart in two seasons. Save up, it's worth it.)
Nails: Essie Topless and Barefoot



Sweater: Cablewing Sweater by Linda Marveng; madelinetosh LEDK (no longer available) in astrid grey; my notes and modifications on "Courchevel"
Jeans: The Gap. No joke. I bought my first EVER pair of non-Gap/Old Navy jeans last week
Shoes: Fleuvog (similar styles at very pricey Yves Saint Laurent, great deal Giuseppe Zanotti, and haven't-heard-of-the-brand-but-they-are-real-leather Halogen)
Lips: Dolce and Gabbana passion duo gloss fusion lipstick in Infatuation
Nails: Butter London Lady Muck

Phew, that was a lot of linking! You may notice that in addition to some similarities in nail polish and shoe designers, these three sweaters have something else in common: they are all designed by Linda Marveng, lindamarveng on ravelry and in the blogosphere. I got to know Linda long before I ever knit one of her sweaters because she was always so complimentary when I finished a project and posted it. I was itching to find the right project of hers to cast on because I loved her aesthetic...I just was never sure it was for me. Linda's designs are gorgeous and complex and a delight to knit; but I know some of them are far more beautiful and wardrobe friendly on other women than on me. But when I saw the test call for the Cablewing sweater, I threw caution to the wind. Perhaps it was that the sample was knit in a neutral, perhaps it was that the accompanying cowl was not part of the test, but I could see myself wearing it and loving it. And I have done both. This opened my eyes to the possibility that others of Linda's designs might also find happy homes in my closet, so two additional test knits followed - each of them a sweater I would not have foreseen myself knitting, and each of which has found a place in my wardrobe with ease.

Do I generally wear the sweaters, as styled above, with a simple ensemble? Absolutely. These pieces are standouts, little works of art, that need no more than a staple, be it a pair of dark wash jeans or a classic skirt to accompany them. I really have to thank Linda for expanding my knitting horizons and challenging me to knit with a bit more adventure. Simple pullovers and cardigans are great, but being able to make your own truly unique clothing is such a fun experience.

After discovering that Linda is featuring my Nora sweater on her blog tomorrow, it reminded me that I've been intending to do a blogroll of my own, and that rather than blabbing links all over a sidebar, I'll add slowly, writing a Follow Friday post for each addition to my link list.

Delayed Gratification...Gratified

Sweater: Agatha by Andi Satterlund; madelinetosh dk twist in lannister gold; my notes and modifications on "Game of Cardigans"
Dress: T by Alexander Wang pleated neoprene dress (still on sale!!!!) or in white (not on sale) or similar styles including this one by Dorothy Perkins
Shoes: Navy tipped satin peep toes by Giuseppe Zanotti Design, similar styles in floral (which I'm seriously considering for me) or embossed suede
Lips: Clinique Different Lipstick in Shy

I've wanted this dress for over two years. Ok, this was my second choice. I wanted the black one by Tibi, nay I have scoured the ends of the internet for that dress to no avail (I could rent it from Rent the Runway, but I don't want to rent it, I want to own it). This Alexander Wang one has come in many variations and colors and I always seemed to just miss the sale. Or miss my size when it went on sale. Not this time. I've had this dress pinned at 192.50 for months. And I knew, just knew, that one day I would either get a coupon or it would go on more sale and I would not miss it this time. So when the 30% off anything I want coupon showed up in my mail, my only concern was "what if I don't like it." Since I've photographed it and you can't see any tags, the verdict is in. It's pretty spectacular.

I scuba dive. A fact (and the attendant nerd talk) I try to keep under wraps (because of just how much nerd talk I can do). However, scuba diving introduced me to the wonder that is neoprene. It's like a sports girdle. It sucks everything in while making you look super badass. I love it. I would wear my wetsuit in public if I could. So the idea of a socially appropriate use for neoprene, one I could wear outside at home? I was ready! Hell, I won't lie, if I ever find another one on sale, I'll buy it too. It is so comfy and so sucking-in-of-all-the-things and yet somehow on trend that I might never take it off.

As for the sweater, I originally knit it to go with an anthropologie dress that I bought after yarnosaurus showed off hers (ravelry is not just terrible for stash management, it also very much contributes to wardrobe growth). This was the dress that made me start shopping at anthropologie after a lifetime of making fun of it (no one told me that if you wait long enough, they reduce everything to $30 at which point I'm laughing all the way to the bank). Andi Satterlund's designs are all very hourglass friendly and I like her way of constructing them as well. I have a bunch more waiting to get made in my queue, but I do highly recommend them.


I also wanted to show you what it looked like open. I still have a cardigan problem where I don't always want them buttoned, but unbuttoned they fall off my bust and look kinda weird. I haven't decided on this look yet, but I would be much more likely to wear this outfit with the cardigan open since it would be a just-in-case cardigan for cold indoor places. The shoes are a coup from many years ago and remain the only good deal I have ever scored at Woodbury Commons (for those in other states, Woodbury Commons is the outlet mall closest to Manhattan). Since I can score better deals at end-of-season sales right here at home, schlepping to a mall 45-60 minutes away to get a whopping 30% discount on clothing from many seasons ago seems silly (and I do not know why anyone else does it), but these shoes were, for some reason, 75% off retail, in my size, and cute enough that I bought them. They're another pair I always get comments on because while the style is classic, you don't see that many apple-green satin pumps walking around. My mother used to say she was pretty positive my grandmother owned a pair just like them so if you wear the same size shoe as your grandmothers, I highly encourage you to raid their closets!

Summer Lovin'

Sweater: Anais by Kim Hargreaves; madelinetosh tosh sport in chamomile (currently out of stock, but carried by Happy Knits); my notes and modifications on "Tournesol"
Dress: Anthropologie Forget-Me-Not Dress by Moulinette Soeurs, dresses from the same designer this season, this Tracy Reese dress (also at Anthropologie) has a similar vibe and is on my personal wishlist
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik, luxe orange sandals by Versace, far more reasonable ones from Ivanka Trump
Toes: Essie Bouncer, It's Me
Lips: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Showstopper

It's full-on summer and I couldn't be happier. Yes, I know when the humidity finally amps up I will complain just as loudly as everyone else, but for the halcyon sunny days before the gross hits, I will be loudly extolling the virtues of hot weather. Hot weather gives you the excuse to paint your toenails blue, wear a yellow cardigan with orange shoes, and pin your hair up in a bun and call it a hairstyle.

If truth be told, this is not my favorite fitting dress from Anthropologie and I am blissfully pleased I got it on super sale last summer. It is, however, a happy summer dress and, for that, I may be inclined to forgive it's somewhat boob-smooshing empire waist. The sweater, though, is a different story. I love this sweater. I love the happy yellow color, I love the pattern, I love the way it fits (though I wish the tops didn't tend to fly open and I've thought of weighting them in an attempt to prevent this. And the shoes. I guess we need to talk about the shoes. They're too big. Which is something I never ever say because my feet are enormous. But these shoes are too big. True, I have yet to see if an insert would fix that, and it might, I'm just bummed that my only orange shoes are not exactly right.

This outfit, overall, is a pretty average representation of how I do sundresses. I wouldn't shrink from wearing this to an office (provided it wasn't a law office or an investment bank) and I'd also wear it on a weekend day when I wasn't going to the beach. Obviously, I give it two thumbs up for vacation evenings!

Verdant

Sweater: Hey Girl cardigan by Bonnie Marie Burns; Wollmeise Merino DK in Fruhling, my notes and modifications for "Atlantic Pacific"
Top: Elie Tahari silk shell, similar styles by Reiss and Kate Spade
Skirt: Brooks Brothers wool skirt, similar style at Loft
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik, similar color, same style in black, for people who think I spend too much on shoes
Lipstick: Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Natural in N31 Soft Fushia (sic)

Story: I got these shoes on ebay 10 or so years ago because I couldn't resist the idea of chartreuse, patent leather, mary janes. Also, they were likely 1/5 retail. Since the idea of chartreuse, patent leather mary janes is so patently ridiculous, I try to wear them a lot. They add a lot of fun to the simplest outfit and are surprisingly versatile (though not with brown). They also make other people happy because they're acceptably outrageous.

I would never have made myself a chartreuse cardigan, however, until I saw this post by Blair Eadie last year at which point I couldn't not make myself a chartreuse cardigan. I did not make the cardigan to match the shoes. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've worn them together. I still hate the buttons on this cardigan because they aren't the right color. They are the second set of buttons this cardigan has had, and the third set might never go on the cardigan because they're not quite right either. I hate selecting buttons for cardigans while, simultaneously being adamant that for my style, the buttons need to blend, not stand out.

The top is a bit of a departure for me. I don't tend to wear a-line tops because I like highlighting my waist. Similarly, I don't own many Nehru-style collars because they tend not to flatter the busty. I'll admit that this top is a hand-me-down and I wear it and a similar navy one in an attempt to broaden my horizons. I don't know if I would buy this style myself, but as a something different in the closet that I didn't have to buy, it can stay in the rotation.