Goodbye to Summer's Fare

One last aimless wandering through the thistle down meadow.  One last chance to wear my white eyelet dresses before autumn.  Then it all gets put away for the year. 

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?  Indeed, it can.  There are certain foods I only prepare and enjoy once or twice a year, certain things I only wear in certain seasons, and to paraphrase a poem by Christina Rossetti, I love them all the more for the fact that they are frugal fare and would find them tedious if I had them in excess. 

In Shakespeare's As You Like It Rosalind once asked, "Can one desire too much of a good thing?"  Yes, dear Rosalind, it is best to enjoy things in moderation and in each season.  That is why I savor the summer, the fruits of the fall, and sometimes I put away my favorite things so that I appreciate them all the more instead of taking them for granted.  But absence can do so much more than that.

Absence brings us clarity.  The mad blur comes into focus, reminds us of how much we enjoy a thing or give us the space we need to realize maybe we don't love it so much.  Bad relationships, bad habits/addictions, a horrible fitting dress or a tack print, it works for most anything.  Sometimes we need that time away to realize just how bad it is or how we've changed and outgrown a thing.

It's alright to change, to outgrow something.  And it is just as well to loyally love something forever.  But it is best to take the time to truly know your heart on the matter.

So, today I'll say goodbye to summer and all my airy cotton dresses for half a year or so.  I'll fold them neatly and pack them away, while bringing out my wools and velvets again.  Then I'll welcome them back when the sunshine and the flowers return, appreciating their beauty all the more.

Shopping Info: Dress and Flower Crown from: SHEIN

Hurry, Autumn

It always seems like autumn takes ages to arrive.  It's rainy and chilly for a solid month before the colors come.  But when they do, all that waiting, wishing, and thumb twiddling seems worth it.

These are last year's pics of course.  I took so many that I couldn't post them all before the season changed again.  This year the weather is strange and I don't know if it will be quite so lovely.  I'll just have to anxiously wait on the edge of my seat to find out.

I can't wait to bring out all my velvet crushes from last autumn again this year.  I don't feel like I had nearly enough opportunities to wear them and I'm not tired of them at all.  And check out that pink fur coat!  Quite a deviation from my normal selections, but there will be a post all about that in a few weeks.

I'm all in for layers and leaves and warm mugs of cocoa sipped by a crackling fires.  So, hurry autumn.  Don't be late.

Shopping Info: Skirt from Chicwish, Coat from Shein, Top from Forever 21 

The Purpose of Petticoats

What is it about these pastels that just says seaside town?  I'm not exactly sure, but I love it all the same and this Candice Seaside dress from Collectif drew me in.  I wish I'd been able to take some photos by the ocean.  Oh, well, maybe next year.  

Today's post isn't really about the seaside.  Actually I wanted to take a moment to talk about petticoats.  Right now you may be thinking, Um, don't you talk about petticoats all the time?  Well, yes, and no.  I've mentioned them in many a post, but I recently bought a couple and am wearing them for the first time for my blog posts...unless you count my childhood years of square dancing.

Not much has really changed in the world of petticoats since I was a tiny tot dancing at right angles with three other couples.  There hasn't been a need.  Petticoats in some form or other have been around for seven hundred years or so.  They've gone through a myriad of changes but somewhere along the way (about 150-200 years ago) they got it down and haven't need to improve upon it since.

The only real choice left for modern fashionistas boils down to color, length, and just how ruffley do you want it.  That sounds pretty simple to me, and yet I still had a hard time deciding on what would best suit my petticoat needs.  I looked for a month or so before finally deciding on a brand. 

I knew I wanted something knee length, but although many petticoats claimed to be knee length, I could tell at a glance you'd have to be about a foot shorter than me for that to be true.  I also wanted something of decent quality so I could wear it again and again, not the cheapy costume stuff.  As for floof, I wanted volume but not "square dancing big."  In the end I opted for a name brand rather than an unbranded overseas number so I could be sure of what I was getting.  

Leg Avenue seemed to cover all the bases of what I wanted and was reasonably priced, so I bought a bright pink and a black petticoat and decided to try them out on a few of my purchases from Collectif's end of summer sale.  Collectif's swing dresses are always perfect for a petticoat.

 

You may be wondering at this point if a petticoat is something you really need in your wardrobe.  The answer really depends on the statement you want to make.  You can get along just fine without a petticoat in your day to day, but they do add that extra volume to your dress or skirt to take it from lovely to exceptional and I recommend them at least for special occastions.  

Take this Candice Seaside dress for example.  It's so pretty and the colors and print are doing a great job of making this dress a standout piece.  Without the petticoat it would still look great, but with the petticoat it is a much more lavish look, like adding whipped cream and sprinkles to your hot fudge sundae.

More petticoat outfits are on the way  and maybe I'll even branch out on the colors and floof!

Shopping Info:  COLLECTIF MAINLINE CANDICE SEASIDE STRIPES SWING DRESS, Heels and Bag from modCloth, Petticoat by Leg AveNue from Amazon.com

Time to Breathe

I'm not going to pretend that I like all this quarantine business.  I don't want people ill and I don't want economic down-turn, or petty functionaries using this as an excuse to bully and abuse their small amount of power.  It's all so ugly in so many ways.  But, here we are.

 

So, while keeping in mind that I am in no way pro-Covid, I do think there are some positive things to come from all this time spent at home, namely time to step away from the world and the chaos, and  think about what matters most.

So, here we are, in the quiet.  What strikes you as the things that matter most?  Have you been neglecting your friends and family for your work?  Have you been neglecting work because you've lost the joy in it?  Have you been neglecting your own health and well being?  

Now is the time to work on all that, to focus on the what truly matters most before this life gets away from you.  Instead of returning to the chaos, when it's time to get back to the world, keep the peace.

Shopping Info:  Similar GINGHAM DELIGHT BUTTON THROUGH CAMI DRESS from ChicWish, Charter School Cotton Cardigan in S - Waist Scholastic by ModCloth

Make Casual Chic

Everywhere I look around here it's Casual-town, it's all jeans and tees all the time.  At restaurants, workplaces, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, weddings, the works.  Everyone is dressed to relax.  There's nothing wrong with jeans and tees, but there is a time to dress it up a little and that time is  when you're at...well, basically all the places I mentioned a second ago.  

Yeah, I said it, sometimes you need to dress up a little but that doesn't mean you need to ditch your tees and jeans.  So, here are my tips for dressing up your casual look.

1.  Fitted Tees.  If it's baggy, faded, or has had any part of it cut off, then it's a firm NO for a dressed up look.  Select a fitted tee with a great print and all of its original parts intact.   

2.  Dark wash jeans are the way to go.  They look more sophisticated and polished than a lighter wash.  Again, no rips, fading and nothing cut off.  You can go for the safe option which is a mid-rise waist and a straight leg or go bold with something high waist and a little flare.

3.  Shoes matter.  In fact I would almost say that shoes make the outfit, like the cherry on the sundae.  Opt for heels or leather boots instead of sneakers.  If you must wear sneakers try leather sneakers or something in a bright color.

4.  Trail Blazer.  Just a tee with jeans can be comfortable but can also still look too casual.  A nice blazer or cardigan is a great way to make a statement that says "professional" in the workplace and "dressed up" at an event.  Don't leave home without one. 

Shopping Info:  Similar Collectif T-Shirt, Similar Jeans from FemmeLuxe, Charter School Cotton Cardigan in S - Waist Scholastic, Heels from Charlotte Russe 

The Ava Dress

I thought we could use a little brilliance today, something bright and cheery-- and stunning couldn't hurt either--that's why I chose the Ava dress from Stop Staring! for today's post.

I've been eyeing this dress for a few weeks and decided that today was the day to style it.  I'm definitely aware of the fact that I'm filling out this dress in a different way than I would have in January.  Remember those quarantine pounds we discussed in an earlier post?

Well, in spite of the fact that I have been working out a few times a week and am making a more deliberate effort to get up from my work screen about every hour or so to walk around or squeeze in a 5-10 minute workout of some sort, the pounds have refused to budge.

Well, it took six months of quarantine to gain the weight; it is fair to assume it will take that long to lose them again.  So, I'll just stay the course with fitness and hope to gain a little muscle in the process.

In the meantime, why not make the best of what I have.  Or better yet totally own those curves!  If I haven't mentioned this before, Stop Staring! wiggle dresses are made of a fabric similar to Spanx, so they've got some really great shaping abilities to maximize your shape.

A Stop Staring! dress like this will have you saying, "What quarantine weight?"

Shopping Info:  Ava Dress from Stop Staring!  Claire's Satin Ruched Gloves - Black - $7.69 from: Claire's, Heels from ThredUp, Earrings from Natuloth

Pumpkin Spice Season

Aw yeah, that's right.  It's M%+#er F-ing Pumpkin Spice Season! and we're doing it in style here on Bleu Avenue.  Break out the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; I've been waiting for this photo shoot all year.

I have a guerrilla approach to photography.  I tend to choose locations that are near to public property and then just dart over the property line, smile for the click, and dash back to public space.  

If I get "caught" I don't try to hide it.  I politely ask for permission and have always been granted it, but I loathe the idea of bothering someone at home to ask if I can stand in their field for a few photos.

Last year this lovely corn patch was next to the road.  Easy-peasy.  This year they let that patch rest and instead planted their corn in a far corner of the field.  It was a long walk from public land and I wasn't comfortable with that kind of overt trespassing, so I chose another field conveniently located on a family member's farm.  

I figured I'd show up, say hi to the family, chat a bit, then wander over to the field.  The trouble was I forgot to ask this cousin in advance if I could use their corn field.  When I arrived at the field near dusk, it was nothing but a few straggling stalks.  The farm hand had already harvested all the corn. 

I refused to go home empty handed--empty if you don't count the car full of dresses and pumpkins--without exhausting all my options.  I was running out of daylight, so headed to the trespassing field to try my luck.

I had one toe on the property, dressed to the nines and arms full of pumpkins, when the entire farm family drove by.  I waved to them like I was supposed to be there.  They circled back, and while shuffling pumpkins, I very politely asked if I could snap a few photos in their field.  They smiled and said of course and then went on their way.  

Huge relief, but I recognized Mr. Farmer and I was prepared to pull out the history charts and talk about how we went to school together and our parents went to school together, etc.  I didn't have to, but I would have.  That's how much this photo session means to me.

The minute I saw this Plaid Cora dress on Unique Vintage I had high hopes for it and it went on my wish list right away.  Thankfully this dress does not disappoint.  It's a single layer dress in a lightweight fabric with no lining.  I opted for a black petticoat (because the only other color I have is hot pink and that would have been awful)  underneath to make the skirt nice and full.

The bow tie is a nice rich orange, but it is not removable.  The front buttons down and the waist has some elastic for stretch and the fit is spot on.  The cut is comfortable and flattering and overall, I'm really pleased with this dress.  

I saw these cutesy berets with fox ears and deer antlers in the spring and because I was home for quarantine and you know, boredom shopping, I bought one and then waited two months for it to be delivered.  If you're interested, the shipping times from overseas have improved tremendously and you should be able to get one now before autumn is over.  More cornfield & pumpkin photos on the way!

Shopping Info:  Unique Vintage 1950s Navy & Orange Plaid Cora Swing Dress, Petticoat by Leg Avenue, Fox Ears Beret Hat from AliExpress, Heels from ModCloth