Sandwiched

At last, I got to wear my fabulous new dress! The folded neckline is what really sold me on this one, and the shape and pattern are classic enough that I'll be able to wear it for years to come.

I tend to have a difficult time with springtime fashions, mainly because soft pastels don't look so great against my skin tone. This dress solves the problem by putting the deep midnight blue up near the face and right at the hem, and keeping the softer shades sandwiched in the middle. Once it warms up a little I think this dress is going to look great with bare legs or nude fishnets.

The cute teal clutch doesn't get a ton of use, so I was glad to realize after buying the dress that it would be just the thing. I love how it plays off the lighter shades in the floral pattern and keeps the outfit bright.

Dress: Karen Millen
Clutch: Tracy Reese
Pumps: Paolo

Surprise

I've been waiting ages to wear this dress. I found it for $9 at the thrift store, brand new with tags, just as we were heading into winter. Since this color is really only suitable for warmer weather, it lurked in my closet packed away with all the rest of the summery stuff that I boxed up to make room for my sweaters and wool skirts. I had pretty much forgotten about it in fact, so it was a nice surprise to open up the box and find a brand new dress waiting for me.

Cardigan: Anthropologie
Necklace: Dana LeBlanc Designs
Dress: Calvin Klein
Shoes: BC Footwear
Bag: Coccinelle

Strategies

Spring is always a tough season to dress for here in San Francisco, and this year is especially difficult. After a gloriously mild winter with many sunny, warm days, the rain and cold temperatures set in just as the rest of the country seems to be breaking out their sandals and sundresses. My solution has been to employ bright colors as much as possible, even though as you can see I'm still having to wear thick tights and sweaters to stay warm.

I leave tomorrow for my trip abroad, but I've got some posts scheduled for while I'm away. My first stop is Lisbon for 5 nights, on to Strasbourg for work for the next 4 nights, then a long weekend in Paris before wrapping up in Boston at a conference. In total it's a 2-week trip with several different types of activities and potentially a couple different climates. Packing for this trip is therefore going to be a particular challenge, so if I'm successful I'll share my strategies after I get back.

Cardigan: Cynthia Rowley
Top: a gift from Sal
Skirt: Skunkfunk
Boots: from Scoop in Copenhagen

Dressing for the Season

I figured I'd better sneak in one more wear of this fabulous furry vest before we get too much further into spring. Despite it still being pretty chilly here, I've decided to make a concerted effort this year to dress for the season, which means shelving much of my warmer stuff like this vest, and avoiding wintry combos such as tights and boots. I'm still planning on wearing some of my boots during the summer, I'm just going to try to do it sans heavy tights. This look most certainly says winter, but it was really cold and rainy that day so I felt it was necessary.

One of the problems with living in a climate that doesn't have temperature extremes is that my approach to dressing varies as little as the seasons do, which means I can get tired of seeing the same things hanging in my closet day after day. I figure if I try designating certain items for a particular season only, then I'll have a renewed interest in them when that season rolls around again. Thus, this furry vest goes in the Winter pile for the time being, as do many of the other garments in this outfit. The leather pants might prove to be a multi-seasonal item, but for the next several months they'll most likely be appearing with sandals instead of boots.





How does your wardrobe change with the different seasons? Do you physically pack up items and put them aside for the season, or do they co-mingle in your closet all year round? Does this contribute to how long your items have interest and appeal for you?

Vest: Adrienne Landau
Scarf: Duke et Duchesse
Sweater: All Saints
Pants: Firetrap
Boots: Bos and Co.