Dressing for Fall Sunshine


Sunshine all this week — it’s been glorious! Fall sunshine may be the best sunshine there is, truly! And Pater’s getting better at this photo-taking, and I’m trying to get braver at it. So here are two of the week’s teaching looks.

Above is, if you’ll believe it, a relatively Minimalist look for me, given that the Club Monaco microfibre pants and the cashmere cardi (also CM) are simple lines and neutral tones. The nude leather low-heeled shoes are a favourite pair I picked up in Paris five years ago. The Anne Klein silk top, bought last year on sale, might seem too colourful to qualify as part of anything minimalist, but its lines are very simple. It’s sleeveless and I’m surprised how versatile it’s been throughout the seasons — I wore it often this past summer, and with a cardi it’s great in spring and fall. The chocolate gold beads (Birks) I’ve been wearing often lately since being gifted with them this summer.

The shot below, taken on the deck early enough in the morning that the automatic flash was triggered, washing out the background, is for Patricia, who has been waiting patiently since July for me to finally show the grey linen pants/skirt I bought on sale in Paris at Crea in the Marais. These are not for everyone, but I loved them as soon as I tried them on — they are wide-legged, asymmetrical, with a crotch that falls about halfway between the knees and the natural crotch. So comfortable. I bought a long-ish tank at Crea as well, cream and grey like the BR fine-merino sweater below, but wider stripes and a looser fit. I’ve loved the combo this summer, but for a fall transition, the pants work well, weight-wise with the light wool. Below, I’m wearing Khrio Mary Janes, but I’ve also worn brown knee-height boots with this bottom.
So now I’ve managed a few consecutive weeks featuring a What I Wore post. That IndigoAlison is a good inspiration, although I doubt I’ll ever work up to her weekly Monday-Friday collage.

Any favourite stylings you pulled off this week? Maybe you’re not posting photos foolishly comme moi-même, but you could comment on a combo that pleased you this week. . .

11 Comments

  1. Mardel
    1 October 2010 / 4:23 pm

    Love the grey linen pants! Strike me as being perfect and versatile.

  2. Susan Tiner
    1 October 2010 / 5:27 pm

    Those pants are beautiful and look really comfortable. I wonder how you found a shop in Paris that had something on the rack larger than a size 2. I enjoyed fondling the clothes, but that was generally it. I did find a couple of nice jackets though at the Galleria by the opera house.

  3. La Belette Rouge
    1 October 2010 / 8:25 pm

    OMG! Love outfit #2. It is so very Indigo Alison and yet you have made it your own. So stylish. I am coveting the entire outfit.xo

  4. LPC
    1 October 2010 / 9:35 pm

    Another endorsement of Outfit #2. Gray is good on you and you are such a cute person, gray or no gray.

  5. SewingLibrarian
    2 October 2010 / 1:38 am

    I didn't think I would like the pants in #2 from the description, but I do like them on you in the picture. Proof that one has to try on clothes to see how they act on one's body. And I second LPC's comment on gray looking good on you.

  6. K.Line
    2 October 2010 / 2:27 am

    You look great in both of these outfits!

  7. materfamilias
    2 October 2010 / 5:04 am

    They really are, Mardel, and so cool in the summer heat.
    Susan T: I'm a size 8, generally, or a Euro 38, and I haven't had too much problem finding items that fit in Paris — next time you're there, you should check out Crea there — they had as good a range of sizes as you'd find here. They have an on-line presence as well, which you can find with a bit of Googling, I think.
    LBR: Isn't it! The grey, the stripes, the interesting structure of the pants — Let's see what she says when she checks out the post . . .
    LPC: Blushing . . .
    Sewing Librarian: I know what you mean — too many of the dropped-crotch pants that were around a year or so ago were too diaper-like, but the assymetry in these makes that much less obvious.
    K: Thanks! Obviously the top one didn't photograph convincingly (the light, the angle, etc.,) but I really like wearing it — more often than the grey, in fact, especially since those grey pants are a bit tricky on the bike!

  8. Unknown
    2 October 2010 / 8:31 pm

    Love to see the fashion diary posts!

    Agree with Sewing Librarian–I really like those pants! And won't they look great with boots?

  9. Patricia
    2 October 2010 / 11:05 pm

    Yay! Yes, looks great – a bit edgy, but stylish and comfortable – thanks! We did pass by Crea but didn't go in (I'm a bit intimidated by cool stores, especially when it's pretty clear I can't afford anything in them). However, I got the hubby to take a photo of one of the window displays and I do remember where it is, in case I get another chance sometime. Hm, stylish looks this week? I'm afraid my addled brain can't recall days past – but today we took our company into the city to the baths; I wore a Gap stripey (beige and navy)knit top, skinny jeans, red patent sneakers and my navy pea coat (it's getting cooler, fall has arrived). That felt good and made up for the fact that I forgot my swimming costume and had to rent one – that looked about as good as you might imagine! Paricia

  10. Tiffany
    4 October 2010 / 9:21 am

    I really like both outfits – they are your own personal take on a current aesthetic (the lovely neutrals), and I think they work wonderfully on you.

  11. materfamilias
    4 October 2010 / 4:42 pm

    Thanks Tiff! The top outfit, I think, at least, looks better than that photo shows. And yes, they're my own way of spicing up the current fascination with neutrals, just so I don't get bored 😉

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