A Warm Jumper and a Cup of Coffee

Another quiet Sunday morning in this sleepy little town and I thought this old truck would make nice backdrop for some photos this morning. It has been cloudy for weeks and it seems like everywhere I go people are taking notice of dreary it's been lately. Personally I have been feeling a little nostalgic for the Pacific Northwest and that tiny little island in the frozen sea where we spent three years of perpetual winter and gloom. 

 I know that sort of description doesn't make it sound like the sort of place I should miss now that I'm not there, but in spite of all the cold and fog and rain, I have some wonderful memories of long walk with my little girls on rainy afternoons all huddled under the same umbrella or down to the icy ocean to look but not touch for fear of hypothermia. Good times.

So, while others are starting to getting a little case of the winter blues, I've been taking these cloudy days in stride, because they remind me of happy times and because I know that even though it seems like winter will never end, it always does. As winter stretches on just a little longer and the busyness of life shows no signs of slowing down, it is nice to have something warm and comfortable to wear around the house or out running errands. I decided to go out for coffee this morning to this wonderful local shop that roasts their own beans and has the friendliest service around. It's funny how no matter how chilly it is outside and hot cup of coffee and a nice cozy sweater like this Grey High Neck Bodycon Jumper Dress - Esmelia can warm your heart as well as your body.

It is FemmeLuxe week here on the blog and I'm so excited to share my outfits with you this month. For today's post, and since it is still quite chilly outside, let's focus on the warm and fuzzy world of sweater mini dresses. You may remember last month that I wore a couple of sweaters from FemmeLuxe. The topics for those posts covered chic casual wear and how to wear a mini dress as a tunic and vice versa. You can see those posts here and here. I was so pleased with how both of those sweaters looked that I wanted to try another sweater and leggings post.

FemmeLuxe's sweaters look so polished and chic and yet they feel so comfortable that I could not resist adding another one to February's collaboration with FemmeLuxe and I knew exactly which sweater I wanted to showcase. This Esmelia sweater dress is so soft, with a nice ribbed pattern, mock turtle neck and just the right amount of stretch, and the perfect length for wearing with leggings. Although the Esmelia jumper could be worn as a mini dress, and I think it will look quite stylish that way, especially with a nice wide belt and heels, today is all about comfort so I thought I'd wear it as a tunic instead.

Last month for my sweater posts when I wore my sweaters as tunics, I chose a bright comic print to go with the bright pink sweater and a snake print accompanied the black sweater, so this time I thought I would go for gingham. Gingham is an understated print, especially in black and white, that I think it goes perfectly with the pale gray of the Esmelia Dress. 

Gray is a neutral color so it goes with anything which means the outfit potential is limitless. In the future I would like to try pairing my Esmelia jumper with bright red leggings, maybe in a shiny PU leather like FemmeLuxe's Skylar Trousers, a wide black belt, and black heels for something a little more edgy. But today is all about relaxing in comfort, so I'll save that outfit for another day and for now, I'll just enjoy my walk, my hot cup of coffee, and my nice cozy sweater.

Shopping Info: Sweater from FemmeLuxe, Pants from Shein

Jumper Dresses Part 2

    If you live in the northern hemisphere like me, you may be looking longingly out your window, desperately trying to wish spring into existence, but for many of us it just isn't coming and we continue to bundle up and layer up before heading out the door each day.  If you're in the southern hemisphere you're probably dreaming of layers, cable knits, and cooler days ahead.

    Wherever in the world you happen to find yourself, this post is for you, because I am a firm believer that sweater dresses are a wonderful trend that I hope stays around for years to come.  In a previous post on jumper dresses I mentioned a few tips for wearing them and as winter presses on I thought I'd revisit the subject since these chilly days don't seem to be going anywhere.  The jumper dress in my last post was a relatively small knit and it can be a little different when working with a thicker dress.

For today's post I'm wearing the Knitted Ribbed Sweater dress in Dusty Rose from FemmeLuxe's midi dresses collection.  FemmeLuxe has a great selection of sweater dresses in different lengths, colors, and knits, but this one in particular falls into the Midi dress category.  A "Midi" dress means that the length falls at mid-calf in other words below the knee but above the ankle, and that extra length combined with this warm knit makes it heavenly to wear on a cold day like this.  You can't see it, but it's frosty this morning.  
    I also love this Grey Cable Knit Jumper Dress in Winter.  Gray has a wonderful softening effect and I may have to make another trip to FemmeLuxe for that one as well, but I've always had a huge crush on rose anything, or mauve as it's also called, so I had to have this dress.  Rose has long been a favorite color of mine because it has the girlish femininity of pink but its understated tone speaks of sophistication and elegance.

    The thicker knit of this dress makes it deliciously warm which means I can layer less and look great without succumbing to hypothermia, but a thicker knit can hide one's shape and be a little harder to work with when putting an outfit together, so here  are a few tips for thicker knits.
    1.  The right belt makes all the difference in just about any outfit, and with this dress it's all about thickness.  A thin belt would be lost against this dress, and make no impact on its shape, but a thick belt creates a nice waistline and stands out against a large knit.  I love a wrap belt, but this leather buckle number  had so much style it was calling my name.

    2.  Shoes, shoes, shoes.  This dress is somewhat longer than the sweater dress in my previous post, so instead of printed tights and ankle strap heels like I wore in that outfit, I opted for knee-high boots with ruched sides.  Knee high boots have been around for a very long time and everyone should have a pair.  Black goes with everything, but there's something about cognac and mauve that makes both colors seem richer together which is why I chose that shade for both the belt and shoes and keeping those two things the same color helps make the outfit cohesive.

    3.  Accessorizing a sweater dress is fairly simple.  Chunky knit = chunky jewelry.  This type of outfit requires a bolder approach to jewelry, preferably things that are longer and layered. I chose larger, dangle earrings and a chunky necklace or one with two or three long strands or a large bracelet instead of teensy weensy pendants and stud earrings as those little things would be lost against this type of fabric.    Save the dainty pieces for cotton and lace.

    4.  Make-Up.  This tip isn't about sweater dresses.  Instead, it's about this particular color.  The best palette for Dusty rose is a more natural one.  Soft brown, champagne pink and yellow perhaps with some midnight blue for the eyelid crease or to line the lid at the lashes and a more natural color for the lips.  All these colors look lovely with dusty rose, but I avoid red dark brown and other strong colors on the lips and greens and blues on the eyes.  I'm not an expert on make-up, of course and if you have some pics showing proof that those colors look well with mauve, I'd love to see them, but thus far I haven't found any evidence.

Shopping info: FemmeLuxe Rose Knitted Ribbed Long Sleeved Midi Dress - Ellie

Curtsy Courtesy

    Someone, at some time in my life taught me to curtsy.  I don't remember who it was though I strongly suspect it was my matronly, and way-too-classy-for-our-small-town tap/ballet instructor.  I remember practicing over and over with some voice telling me to do it again, this time with grace. I was an impatient child, and grace requires patience.  

    

I have a number of foggy memories of Ms Frances and none of them are good.  On one occasion, she paused an entire class of dancers by saying, "we're going to do this again and again until Leandra gets it right."  It's safe to say that as a person, I hated her from that moment on, but she sure could dance.  And public embarrassment is an effective enough tool that in spite of my hard feelings, I did slow down and perform my pirouette correctly.

I can't remember the last time I pirouetted or even dropped a curtsy, but it's nice to know that I still can (curtsy, not pirouette) if the occasion ever arises, and I have Ms. Frances (I think) to thank for that.

Shopping Info: Collectif x MC Curtsy Courtesy Midi Jumper in Sea, The Zest is History Heels in Green, Claire's Structured Navy Bow Headband

Puppies & Jumpers

Frenchie Soap Poster, Bulldog Silhouettes, French Bulldog Valentine from Etsy.com

    As a little girl, I loved jumpers or suspender skirts as they're called nowadays.  I owned one a few years ago, but it didn't get much wear.  Those were the baby days and the only things I wore were clothes I didn't mind being ruined, so pretty much just jeans and tees.  Now I rarely have things get ruined and I've been trying to branch out a bit from my standard vintage style dress.  I recently started working with a company called Haoduoyi and when I saw this cute little suspender skirt, i knew i had to have it.  I paired it with this second hand Alice Blue Peter Pan collared peplum top with French bulldog print.  

    The website recommends that buyers size up one from their normal size when purchasing.  On my last purchase, I felt that I could have ordered my normal size XS, because the small was a bit loose, but that was not the case with this skirt. Even though the waist is elastic, it is still a snug fit, so maybe consider ordering two sizes up if you have any concern.  Also, feel free to message me with questions about measurements.  The skirt is lined, but the straps are not adjustable and there are no pockets.  I'm glad I got this cute little number and though it is a bit shorter than I normally wear my hemlines, it's also shaping up to be a very hot summer, so I don't mind my clothes being a little breezy.

Shop the Look:
Haoduoyi Women's Classic X-Cross Suspender Skirt $17.99
Bell Flats by Report
Alice Blue Peter Pan Collar top is second hand