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.

Wheeeeeee!

Sweater: Better Breton by ME! wollmeise dk in admiral and natur
Jeans: Madewell Rail Straight jeans (possibly discontinued; replacement (?) style is Alley Straight
Shoes: Sperry Top-Sider Hayden Loafers in Sahara; similar styles (with tassel) and in patent from Bass
Nails: Butter London flawless basecoat which makes a pretty good matte nude...
Lips: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in Aubergine N50

Today is kind of a big deal.

It's my first for-sale independently published pattern. And, to be Californian and British for a moment, I'm properly stoked. Since we already talked about this sweater a couple months ago, I'm not going to bore you with rehash. What I will say is that writing a pattern is both easier and harder than I anticipated. Easier in that numbers don't lie. Provided you start out with good notes and proper measurements, applying a to b is not that difficult. If your gauge is 24sts over 4" then to have something 32 inches wide requires 192 stitches. The End. But transposing that simple truth across ALL the measurements needed is a bit tedious and more than a bit nerve wracking (cause it's so easy to make a mistake and never realize it). Which is why (and because if I'm asking someone to pay me for something, I ought to make sure it's good), I enlisted the help of a tech editor, Joeli on ravelry, to point things out like the fact I had copied and pasted the totally incorrect and nonsensical final measurements from some (likely notepad) document onto my "final" doc.

It's also a bit difficult to trust the standards especially when you, yourself, aren't so standard. My personal neck to underarm measurement is shorter than average; my bust to waist differential is larger than average; I prefer a shorter sweater. How to reconcile those preferences with a garment that will be universally (or will aspire to be...) applicable is challenging. Do I make the adjustments to my version but write the "real" numbers into the pattern? I didn't. I made my version according to Hoyle - and I'll make my next one a little more to my norm. This not only made the process easier, but also allowed me to feel as though the sweater I was selling was also the one I was actually wearing.

So we'll see how this little experiment goes. I'll be at Rhinebeck this weekend as will ALL of the other extant Better Bretons. So if you'll be there too, look for us on Sunday and maybe, just maybe, buy yourself some yarn to make one of your own!

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

Two Seductions

Dress: Audrey Totter by Kristen Hanley Cardozo; The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in Longhorned Beetle; my notes and modifications on I Will Vamp Your Bleep Up!
Blazer: Duskfall Blazer by Madewell; similar styles by J. Crew (nb: I will pretty much only link to J. Crew when its stuff goes on sale; I think the quality is appalling at full price and, as someone who grew up with J. Crew when it made quality clothing, I get especially ragey about it - I only just learned that Madewell is owned by J. Crew, yet at a lower price point their stuff is routinely of a much much better quality), Rag & Bone, and Vince Camuto
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; similar styles by Pour la Victoire and Prada
Toes: Butter London in Royal Navy
Lips: Bobbi Brown Art Stick in Rose Brown
Necklace: Ever Together magnetic necklace

The first question this post answers is, yes, I do wear my knitted dresses. Whenever I can!

I remember when this pattern came out I thought it was nice. It went into my favorites. Then at 2011 Rhinebeck while waiting in line at the Sanguine Gryphon booth early in the morning, I saw it in real life. I don't remember what I had been waiting on line for, but now I was waiting in line for this! The color in person was mesmerizing. I was already planning to accidentally-on-purpose high stick anyone in front of me who tried to lay hands on the bugga I needed to make the dress. I was smitten. Like many of you, I buy at fairs like Rhinebeck and then the yarn sits around a while. Not this time. It looks as though I cast on immediately and the only reason it took so long for me to finish is that I'm pretty sure between cast-on and cast-off I got married and spent 3 weeks in Africa. I like this story because it proves that sometimes you shouldn't think, you should just do. I likely blew most of my Rhinebeck budget on the yarn for this dress and I regret nothing!

Those Prada shoes linked above at Bluefly (and not available in size 41)? I regret those. The shoes on my feet in the picture just never quite measured up. I do not like paying full price for shoes, especially the shoes I buy. And by do not like, I mean cannot afford. I saw those prada peep toes and suddenly realized I didn't own navy shoes and desperately needed some. But they were $700. Fine, I said, they'll go on sale. But they didn't. Not the first sale season after they were released, not the second, and I was getting pretty desperate. After all, I had discovered a glaring hole in my wardrobe that now hadn't been filled for well on 9 months. Enter the Manolo Blahnik 50% off summer sale. They had a pair of open-toed navy patent pumps. And instead of $700, they wanted about half that. So I bought them.

And I've regretted it ever since. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing the matter with the shoes and they're actually quite comfortable, but they're not what I wanted. The cutouts are too cutesy. These are polo match shoes, the Pradas are queen of the boardroom shoes. I wanted the latter. I'm not saying I should have spent $700 on the shoes, I honestly don't think they're worth that, but I shouldn't have been seduced by the on-sale shoes right in front of me. Just because they were cheaper, doesn't mean they were right.



So now I have a question for you: blazer buttoned or unbuttoned? I go both ways and tend to keep it unbuttoned while seated and buttoned while standing. Thoughts?