Visible Monday: Sheer Temptation

While thrifting one day last week, I found myself thinking that this form of shopping gradually teaches a person to "trust their gut."  I've been thrifting for so long that I'm not entirely sure I can always articulate why I know an item will work for me--I look at the cut, the quality of the fabric, the size and a range of other factors.  I also notice that on certain days I'll arrive home with several items all in the same shade of deep blue or several items in the same fabric, so "mood" has something to do with my choices as well.

Over the past few months, I've thrifted several sheer pieces and I do know exactly where that started.  Susie Bubble is forever adding sheer things over a fully styled outfit underneath.  I like her look, but had never even sampled it myself.  It was January when instinct laid my hand on today's dress.  I know that I purchased it for the sheer buttoned back  But then, once I got it home, I found myself wondering what event the dress might have been designed for.  Its navy.  Its length is conservative.  It has shoulder pads.  AND, it has a huge organza bow on the back.  It's too fussy for church and too prissy for a wedding.




I've put off posting this look because when I first styled it, I had no backless bra and that shows in this look.  I've since acquired one and was amazed by the stick on cups that latch together.  They work!  And I now own three dresses that require such an undergarment.


I have pondered shortening the dress, removing the shoulder pads, and perhaps even the bow.  And, then, I read Elsa Schiaperelli's autobiography, Shocking Life.

The book is a delightful read, although I'm uncertain how historically accurate it might be.  The chapters follow her from childhood, where the historical whimsy is greater and the material feels more reliable as she ages.  I was stunned to learn that SHE rather than the proponents of 1980s power-dressing initiated the use of padded shoulders.  And somehow I think she might have approved of the bow, although a shocking pink would have been more appropriate to her sensibilities.


What do you think?  Is the dress worth revamping?  Could I shorten it to the knee and add a big pink YSL bow?  Is it worth the trouble?  Or should I just get over the experiment with sheer and act like a grown-up?


This post is part of Patti's 52nd Visible Monday event.  And I'm late to the party!

The Window Shopping Project: TJMaxx & Marshalls

I've combined these two "off-price department stores" because they are owned by the same corporation.  The company originally evolved from the Zayre discount department stores, founded in 1956.  Zayre opened the first TJ Maxx in 1976, but it later sold off the Zayre name.  Its expansion beyond North America came in 1994, when T.K. Maxx was founded in the United Kingdom and then expanded to Ireland (and later, Germany and Poland).  In 1995, it acquired Marshalls.

One thing that confounds me is that the T.K. Maxx stores in the UK seem to include a portion of the store devoted to high-end designer garments.  I did not find this at the suburban TJ Maxx I visited this past Tuesday afternoon after a couple of meetings on campus.  The store was cool, and clean and bright.  Shoppers were dressed in casual summer attire as they perused the merchandise.  The handbags were of slightly better quality than any of the stores I've visited previously.  There was a jewelry counter under glass.  I perused the shoes on open display and the racks of hats, lingerie, and active wear.  I think I began with women's sizes and I was impressed that there were "cute" finds there.  In the misses racks, I found a black dress with a leather panel that I admired.  And in the junior's department, I found a top of grey lace that I truly wanted...but honestly could not imagine where it might fit in my wardrobe.  Lisa at Privilege had great luck finding a dress and shoes on the spur of the moment in a TJ Maxx several months ago.

All of the women's clothing was arranged in the center of the store, surrounded by men's, children's, and housewares departments.  I don't believe I found any garment that was over $50, though there were a number of known labels, such as Ralph Lauren.  I left without buying anything.  Shopping is exhausting on a hot summer's afternoon, although if you were a person attempting to keep air conditioning costs low, I can imagine an afternoon of browsing the racks.

I drove to a different suburban strip mall to sample the wares at Marshalls.  This was a favorite shopping place of mine in the 1970s before it became a part of the TJX Companies.  One never knew what they might find on the racks--similar to the way I find thrift store shopping now.  One practice that was unique to Marshalls in its early days was that floor space was "sublet" in the shoes, hardware, and sporting goods departments, although the separate ownership of the space was "invisible" to the shopper.  I do not know if that is still the case today.  By buying up post-season, over-run, and close-out stock in the 70s, Marshalls was able to offer prices at 20-60% off department store prices.  A recession was affecting shoppers in that decade.  Marshalls is now the second largest off-price family apparel and home fashion retailer, behind its sister company, TJ Maxx.

When I visited, I was surprised to find much of the same merchandise at BOTH stores.  I saw the same luggage, although the shoe department, scarves, and hats were a bit more extensive.  I found a pair of bright red Spanx!  I found dresses very similar to mother-of-the-bride dress I wore last September.  There was more sportswear and maxi dresses in this store, but this might have reflected the suburban upscale neighborhood where the store was located.  I wandered snapping photos for nearly half an hour.  The only discernible difference was that this Marshall's carried NO jewelry.  The one clerk I approached was clad in shorts and sandals.

In both stores, shopping carts are made available to shoppers as they have been in every store I've visited since the Window Shopping Project began.  I have two more  stores to visit, Steinmart and Nordstrom's Rack, before I launch into the part of the project that may make me feel more uncomfortable.  I've been reading and hearing about the consumer practice of "showrooming" and although I'm not doing this, I worry that I may be confronted about my photography as I shop the higher end stores.

Amy Zimmerman of the Wall Street Journal describes showrooming this way, "when shoppers come into a store to see a product in person, only to buy it from a rival online, frequently at a lower price."  I first heard about this with QR codes last Christmas in bookstores and rued the practice as I knew it might mean the end of brick and mortar bookstores.  But, it also places a lot of power in consumers' hands.  Do you showroom?

Removing Wrinkles

I know I've been missing in action.  Here's why.  Sunday morning we set out on a bike hike to celebrate both Father's Day and my grandson's 7th birthday.  We headed to the park which features a one-way drive throughout.  As we headed down a hill, an approaching vehicle slowed behind us.  I pulled off into a driveway momentarily to let the vehicle pass.  I tried to hesitate...and crashed into a curb, knocking over a termite ridden mailbox!  I have a slight sprain in the right wrist and skinned knees that would make any of my grandchildren proud.

In other news, I've been playing with my birth present--a full-sized steamer, which is just exactly what I wanted.  While I still haven't found a way to remove wrinkles from my skin, this works super on the entire pile of ironing I've let build up in recent weeks.

The top on the right is a linen blouse, the last item I purchased at the Goodwill outlet and there is nary a wrinkle left.  I may have figured out the way to circumvent the dry cleaner entirely!

I tried thrifting on Monday, but the wrist hurt too much to move clothes along the rack, so I've babied it and looked for activities that didn't stress it much, reading for one.

Not pictured here is Elsa Schiaperelli's Shocking, a book that will inspire Monday's upcoming post, and William Least Heat Moon's The River Horse.

What's on your reading list this summer?

This or That Challenge: Days 4 & 5

Once again I'm playing catch-up.  Doing a 5-day challenge when I post just 3 days a week may not have been the best idea.  For Thursday, the challenge was to wear colored or printed bottoms; I chose printed bottoms using a pair of britches my readers first saw on Mother's Day.  I'm playing with the colors and I wonder which of these combos my readers might like best.

 

I think the Mother's Day look with the coral remains my favorite, but the last pic on the lower right seems iffy to me.  This is a sheer tunic with a pattern that contrasts with the pants.  Does it work?

All of these items have been thrifted.  The slacks are by Ellen Tracy and while I would have guessed they were a spandex, the tag inside says wool.  Could this be why I found them in a thrift store?  Is it possible they were mis-labeled in production?   On the top right, the yellow linen top is by Alexandria.  On the top left, the green jacket is by Joni B.  On the bottom left, the reversible blue top has a green lining and is by Flair, the blouse is by Jones New York.  On the bottom right, the blue top again but paired with the tunic by Wild Rose.

Friday's challenge was pastels or neons.  I'm in a monochrome mint.

The shorts are in a super soft cotton by Boundary Waters and the tee, thrifted to begin with, is on its second summer with me.  

In three of the looks I've worn this week, I've worn items I purchased from the Goodwill Outlet store BY THE POUND!  Monday's white capris, Wednesday's skirt and floral blouse, and today's shorts.  I paid less than $4 for the purchases I made on my first visit there and I've yet to wear a white linen blouse I bought the same day.    We returned there this week and I purchased an Eileen Fisher wool tunic and a 2002 Olympics sweater knit in Norway; DH purchased two large bath towels and a pair of padded men's bicycle shorts~all for less than $6.

I thought I was already a dedicated thrifter, but I think I'm growing hooked on this new type of shopping.

Have a good weekend and don't forget to weigh in on the color choice for the floral pants!

They Say It's My Birthday

They say it's my birthday...the big 5-8!  And all I can think about is how behind on Megan Mae's challenge I am.  Tuesday's challenge was 'platforms or flats'.  I don't own a pair of platforms (unless clogs count).  So I hope that this barefoot bohemian look counts.

Actually, I sampled this look weeks ago after I'd noticed Lynne wearing a reversible silk skirt and I thought of it again when Patti wore one on Monday.  Here, I'm combining two--with one fashioned as a top.  I know when I purchased my first one off of eBay (the bottom one), it came with a video that showed the 101 ways it could be styled as a dress.  I'm wearing the original as a skirt and the most recent thrift store find as a top.  I've added brass bells around one ankle--an accessory my grandson loved as it announced my movements about the house.  I'm told that these skirts are fashioned from recycled saris.

I like the bohemian vibe of this look and if women my age still attended outdoor concerts I could easily wear it out into the world--though I should probably leave the wrist watch at home.  I actually sampled the top with this curious pair of metallic flats.

Wednesday's challenge was tribal or floral.  I don't own any "tribal" (and Jacqueline at The Hourglass Files has an excellent take on this) and I wear florals infrequently because of a personal connotations I attach to them.  They remind me of a "church lady" look I actually wore on Sundays throughout the 80s.  But, this look highlights two more of the pieces I found when I visited the Goodwill Outlet store several weeks ago.

The floral blouse is by Ralph Lauren and the gathered skirt is by Campagnie Internationale.  The pale colors are unfortunate against my pale skin and greying hair, but I like the profile of the look.  I've collected three of these gathered skirts in my thrifting over the past year.

I still have classes to tend to today and only then, will we think about how we might celebrate this birthday...

Does anyone have suggestions?

Visible Monday: Adventures in Marriage Edition

When I posted my Window Shopping Project post last Friday, I thought I had nothing more pressing than an eye appointment and laundry to do this weekend.  It's been two years since I've had an eye appointment and four years since I've purchased a new pair of specs.  My grandson and I walked the two blocks to the optometrist's office, the two of us dressed in contrasting blue and white.  C. was fascinated by all the gadgets in the doctor's office and tried to help me read the tiniest print at the bottom of the chart.  A half hour later I walked out having ordered a pair of tortoise shell glasses.

At home again, there was a message on the answering machine from a woman with my same name informing my husband that he'd placed the winning bid on an organ that had been up for auction that day.  Inwardly I groaned; the auction was halfway to Denver.  DH was off selling stuff at another auction and did not return home until 4 p.m.  When he called the auction house, we learned that the antique organ was sitting outside waiting for DH to pick it up.  We looked at each other and gulped; would it rain before we could get there to pick it up?

We set out at 6 p.m., having borrowed our son's trailer and began the jaunt, some 350 miles across the state.  We pulled into Hays, Kansas, at 11 and debated about getting a room.  DH decided to press on and we followed the directions to "B" road, startling owls and field mice at every turn.  I was reluctant, having visions of some landowner with a rifle meeting us at the gate.  DH assured me that the place was abandoned and continually tried to help me see the adventure this was.

Here's what we finally found at 12:15 in the morning.

There was a pleasant breeze stirring and the whispering of many trees, a full half moon, and an organ that worked but reeked of mice.  The organ was in two pieces and with some coaching I helped him lift the top half up and lowered it to the ground.  And then, back up again onto the trailer.  I have strong arms, but have never had to use them to hold a weight and raise or lower something at the same time.  We used a board then to scoot the bottom half onto the trailer.  We lashed the two pieces back to back on the trailer, then crept our way back out the gravel road we'd come, and drove another hour before we came to a town with a motel where we could stay.

Want to know what his winning bid was?  $25!!!  Want to know what it cost us to retrieve the d****d thing?  $200+.  But he is correct that this will be a memory right up there with the night we slept on scaffolding outside our bedroom window. 

I know that Kansas has a reputation of being flatter than a pancake.  If you're interested, this video will give you a glimpse of the actuality. 

This post is part of Patti's 50th Visible Monday!  It is also a part of a week long challenge at MeganMaeDaily's.  Monday's look was to be brights.  (the BRIGHT white cargos were thrifted at Goodwill by the pound, the sparkly blue blouse is by Chico's but also thrifted, and the saltwater sandals were  my first new purchase of the year. )

I'd love to hear a story or two about midadventures you might have shared with your partner!

The Window Shopping Project: Burlington Coat Factory

This week's store falls into the same "off-price department stores" category as Ross and T.J. Maxx stores.  We have no Ross stores in our area, but there are 450 of these stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.  And in 2011, they were still opening new stores.

Burlington Coat Factory was founded in 1924, as a manufacturer of ladies' coats and outerwear.  But the modern day store was formed in 1972 when Monroe Milstein and his wife, Henrietta, purchased a garment factory and warehouse in Burlington, New Jersey.  Monroe's father, Abe, had been a wholesalers of Ladies coats and suits in New York City for many years and had run a small retail business after hours.  The company began to add other apparel, including sportswear, shoes and accessories, and most important to me, baby and children's items.  "Nobody sold so many coats with so much depth all year round."

Years ago, I took my three daughters, all in grade school at the time, out to purchase their winter coats at a Burlington Coat Factory.  At the time I was a single mother and trying to keep the three of them corralled while finding a quality coat for one was a major effort.  As children do, they played hide and seek in the racks, and complained about the coats I tried to steer them towards that in exasperation, I marched all three OUT of the store and informed them they would not have a new coat that year.  I kept my word.  And they never behaved in a store that way again.

More recently, I shopped a last minute bridesmaid's dress here.  Last summer, just weeks before my sister-in-law's marriage I was asked to be the maid of honor to avoid competition amongst her 4 daughters.  The color scheme for the wedding had been set though I'd not seen any of the dresses.  I needed something in an aqua blue.  I shopped ALL of the "off-price department stores" in my area, growing sweatier by the minute and settled on a fine white cotton dress, fully lined, with a huge water colored flower splashed across the front.  It fit the occasion perfectly and cost just $20, the right price for a dress I knew I would only wear once.

The pictures from my visit this past Thursday were disappointingly blurry for the most part, but I have salvaged enough to give a range of the merchandise available.  I found items by Nine West, Perry Ellis, Baby Phat, Tommy Hilfiger, Chinese Laundry, Bamboo, Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Jones New York, London Fog, Nautica, Esprit, Pellepelle.  The men's department is just as large and diversified as the women's department and the store carries linens as well.  I have learned that the shoe department, which I've long liked for the type of shoes you might just wear once, is likely an area of the store subcontracted  by MJM Designer shoes. 

Shopping in places like this can be a bit of a treasure hunt, like thrift stores, except that the merchandise is new, is sometimes available in multiples, and is undamaged.  When I purchased the bridesmaid's dress last summer, another shopper was buying multiple formal little girl's dresses in the same style and color.    I was pleased to see that the maternity department was fairly extensive, as was a juniors plus department, and I found several items in the women's department that I liked, a lot.    But if your surroundings are important to you, this store has high industrial ceilings and the aisles are wide enough for grocery carts.

Can you see yourself shopping here?  And do you have stories to tell about shopping with misbehaving children?

"Huck" floats the Mississippi

I mentioned in Monday's post that my actual travel outfits were much more mundane than the seersucker combos I pictured. We set out early last Wednesday morning with DH's youngest son and all his summer gear for the headwaters of the Missississippi River. He plans to spend the next 100 days floating the entire length to New Orleans. I know that privately DH and I have had our concerns about this trip, but "Huck" talked about it for over a year and little by little the plans have fallen into place.

So, while blogger friends are tripping about France and Italy, I'm headed into the wilderness 700 miles from home, just an hour south of the Canadian border and within the same time zone. The amount of gear he is carrying meant that there was no other way to travel but in our hybrid Highlander. For hour after hour, we drove.

I had packed loose pairs of cargos and jeans, sleeveless blouses, and long-sleeved tees. And my trusty red tennies, because I had envisioned needing to muck about it in the marshy areas where his trip would begin. I was glad to have the loose clothing because parts of my body swelled from the inactivity of travel.   And I was glad to have the layering tees as the weather up north proved to be consistently cooler than I had expected.

At St. Paul, where another river merges with the Mississippi, I gulped at the width and the height of the river this time of year. "Huck" stopped to purchase a "map" of the river from the Army Corps of Engineers and emerged from the building in downtown St. Paul with a 300 page book!

We stayed our first night at St. Cloud, Minnesota, and even wandered through several thrift stores before day's end, simply to have the exercise. Thursday morning found us at Lake Itasca, one of 10,000 small lakes in this area of the North American continent, and a remnant of a long ago glacier. We walked across the headwaters and realized that the river there simply wasn't deep enough to float the craft "Huck" planned to travel in.

We spent much of Thursday scouting a good access point for his kayak and found one at Coffee Pot Campground. And then, we traced as much of the route he would follow his first week as we could. The fears that his father and I had had on Wednesday diminished a bit as we realized that the river this far north was still somewhat tame and that he would gradually learn how to deal with the wider, higher waters downstream.

On Friday morning, I helped carry his gear down to the water and then served as official photographer while the kayak was aired up and loaded. Those who are interested can view the videos of his departure here and here. Or, you can follow his daily tweets at @C_L_Lowry. DH was invited to go and declined, realizing that I would need help with childcare responsibilities this summer as I attempt to teach online and keep grandsons entertained.

I had had visions of taking a meandering route home and stopping to do a bit of sight-seeing along the way. My apologies to Meri, and Sally, and Nora and Megan, all bloggers I might have looked up had we not been quite so intimidated by rush hour traffic in the Twin Cities on Friday evening. When we stopped for the third night, DH was uninterested in visiting the Spam Museum, a real place near the Hormel plant in Austin, MN.

I must say that we found Minnesota folk to be amongst the friendliest and most helpful folks we've encountered anywhere. And while their cornfields are a bit behind those in Kansas, the farms are lush and picture perfect places. In Iowa, I was asked to do a bit of the driving and agreed if DH would snap at least one photo I could use on the blog.

As you can see, I'm a bit worse for the wear, after 1500 miles in 3 days.  I've rolled up my loose jeans, and my feet stink inside the sneakers, and I'm wearing the kitschiest top in my entire wardrobe.  A sure sign that I'm a tourist--though at interstate speeds, I'm not even that:  I'm just breezing through.

I will say this though.  Not enough of us avail ourselves of our national and state parks, hidden gems supported by our tax dollars.

And, while it is always nice to come home, travel is good for shaking up the bad habits in my daily routine.  For a week now, I've been "cured" of my insomnia, going to bed at a reasonable hour and rising while the morning still seems wondrous.

Perhaps by Labor Day, we'll be making a similar trip to New Orleans.

Visible Monday: A Seersucker Capsule

I would love to pretend that I was this "put together" on my recent whirlwind trip north.  Instead, this is a capsule wardrobe of very travel worthy seersucker.  The fabric is cut on the bias in coral and brown stripes in this skirt by J.Crew.  The sleeveless sweater vest is by Izod and the oxfords, a comfy walking shoe, by Bass. 

In the look on the left, the coral wrinkle-free blouse is by Talbots.  In the look on the right, I've paired the summer weight skirt with a wool sweater by James Kenrob for Dalton.  Travel often presents us with temperature challenges we hadn't imagined.  I could easily have worn the blouse under the sweater if necessary or with the brown slacks below.

I liked the nubby texture of both the sweater and the slacks, which are by Eric Casual.  The slacks were "Dry Clean only," but survived my cold water wash. 

And below, you'll see the LAST of all the seersucker in my wardrobe, a pair of shorts I styled last summer as well, though this time around, I've paired the stripes with a sheer floral blouse, oxblood belt and Cole Haan loafers.  All items have been thrifted.

This post is part of Patti's regular feature, Visible Monday, a round-up of bloggers challenging invisibility in all it's forms.  It's also a teaser in that what I actually wore on my trip to the headwaters of the Mississippi River is much more mundane.  Be sure to tune in Tuesday for Adrienne and Jill's Travel Wear round-up. 

Have I converted anyone to seersucker?