I’m hoarding many of my words to myself at the moment, writing them in the three handwritten “morning pages” Julia Cameron recommends in her book The Artist’s Way. I’m not managing to do these daily, nor am I sure I want to commit to that regularity (I’m so very prone to falling into obligation, so often self-imposed).
So a What I Wore post for a Word-less Wednesday seems in order. There are some hints that spring is on its way (forsythia singing yellow from my terrace garden — thank you, former owners, what a gift), although the weather forecast shows rain, showers, and rain for the next week. Both the hints of spring and its reluctance to materialise in the form of sunshine prompted my recent purchase of this (J. Crew) colourfully printed lightweight merino sweater, a very cheering transitional piece. I wore it with these (Aritzia) pants I think of as dressy gymwear. They’re made of a beautiful Japanese synthetic fabric, have an elasticised waist that isn’t an old-lady elasticised waist — and they have pockets! I know! Worn above with the Vince sneakers I live in these days, but which are, sadly, showing signs of thinning and softening through the soles. The problem with sneakers, of course, is that the soles can’t be refurbished the way a leather sole can. I’m keeping an eye out for a replacement.
As I said, it’s still too cool and damp to be heading out without a coat or jacket, but I’m a bit weary of my neutrals at the moment — leopard might be neutral-coloured, and some of us consider it so classic as to count as a new neutral anyway, but it lends the punch of energy I’m wanting right now (This one’s eight years old, made in Canada by a Canadian company, Louben). The bag is the one I deliberated over purchasing, as described inthis post — It’s been earning its keep ever since.
In case you’re curious, I wore this outfit to meet a new friend (made through this blog, actually) for lunch downtown. Did a spot of retail before and after — and found a Mother-of-the-Bride dress for the upcoming small, intimate wedding ceremony and family celebration of my Daughter-who-lives-in-Rome and the Wonderful Guy Who Will Soon Officially Be Our Son-in-Law as well as in Love. I’ll be sure to show you the dress eventually — it’s perfect for a simple, casual wedding, and one that I’ll be able to wear often afterwards (black but softened by a spring-flowers print, Equipment, silk)
I’ll also note that the curls featured above are shaggier than the ones I’m wearing today. In case you’re curious about my current cut and the state of my grey, I posted a few photos on Instagramafter my salon visit yesterday. Feels like a sign of settling in here that I’ve now got a stylist just two blocks from home, and that I’ve already had two appointments there. (If you’re curious about my experience going grey, I pulled together some posts on thislast May)
I’m off now to spend some of those hoarded words on a private writing project I’ve begun working on. But if you care to direct some of your words into a comment here, you know I’m always happy to know you’re reading. Maybe you can tell me whether you’ve added any colour or print to your wardrobe to hurry spring up a bit. I know, we may have covered some of that territory back here, but that was back when we were just trying to pull some spring into our winter — now that Spring’s actually here, is there more impatience reflected in your outfits, or happy celebration, or more despair that it seems it will never arrive?… (all this applies to the Northern Hemisphere, of course — you’ll be moving from Summer to Fall in the Southern Half of the world, and I’m curious about those sartorial changes as well)
I love your leopard coat (it runs in family :-),but,actually,I love leopard print very much ,too,and have a couple of pieces),as well as the hair and the spring sweater-we all need some sun and lovely colours,something new to say good bye to the long and cold winter this year.
Weather here is beautiful,sunny,around 20-25°C for the last couple of days-I'm wearing my white jeans with leather jacket in caramel or even with only leopard print Eric Bompard v-neck (although the nights are still chilly)
Dottoressa
That combination sounds perfect to me, the white jeans and caramel leather jacket! And also the white jeans with leopard-print cashmere. My poor daughter, enroute right now from a similar climate to yours, as you know, and arriving here to rain and a high of 11Celsius. . .
Hi Frances, I don't wear a lot of flowery prints (hardly any, really) and it's still quite cold here, so my current wardrobe is not very spring-y. However, we are off to Toronto on Sunday for 3 nights and I'm looking forward to shopping in some different stores. The Rome family will be here soon, won't they? Will the little one be a flower girl? Of course, there are a few little girls in your extended family now – I'm sure they will all be very excited.
Frances – I just followed the link to your instagram and saw the photo of your granddaughter in Rome, wearing her daycare smock. My husband had to wear one when he went to school in Italy and we still have a photo of him at that time. He likes to say that they used to make him wear a dress in school!
They arrive this evening. So funny to learn that about your husband's school "dress" — and ours little girl is supposedly wearing a "boy's" dress 😉 (because it's blue)
That leopard coat delivers energy and class! Perfect.
Pulled all heavy scarves for cleaning and storage. Coats next.
Thank you!
Good for you starting the spring wardrobe cleaning and organisation. I've been eyeing my heavier scarves and noticing that I haven't worn them for a few weeks, so will follow your good example soon. Hope all's well with you — in town here anytime soon?
Love your coat. Hope you are finding Cameron's morning pages exercise interesting. A friend put me on to it a few years ago. I was astonished by what the simple process brought out.
Is the wedding to be held near you? What a lovely celebration to have on the horizon.
I'm astonished as well, even as I grumble a bit about the time commitment, especially at a time of day I usually quite enjoyed "frittering."
The wedding will be small, quiet, and intimately celebrated at the recently renovated home of my daughter's SIL, immediate family only — which already, with spouses and kids, means more than twenty of us. We're hosting a drop-in/brunch a couple of days later for extended family.
Love the leopard. I am packing for a weekend in London and have put out my leopard-print loafers because they add a slightly natty air. To brighten up the weather – and, frankly, the spirits of Londoners at present, as an up-yours to terror – I am also taking my orange fake Kelly bag. I shall step out briskly and bravely, wielding the orange bag of brightness.
Natty. I want to add that adjective to my style lexicon. We don't use "natty" here at all, and I think we should. . .
Leopard and orange fake Kelly bag for the natty win! Hoorah!
Oh! A wedding! Such sweet news announced down there in the post… spring is a natural spirit lifter, and so is good news. (I realize he is already fully part of the family, but a celebration of love is always inspiring,) We cannot even think of going sockless here, yet- still digging out of a record snowstorm.
Exactly as you say — he really is already fully part of the family, but who doesn't love a pledging and celebration of love. With prosecco!
Yes, sorry about flaunting the bare ankles. If you had to live with the grey rain we've been suffering for weeks now, you might allow a flaunt or two 😉
I've been doing morning pages for years, albeit sporadically. Great coat on you.
Thanks Jennifer — do you find the morning pages effective?
It was 19 (F) this am where we are visiting, and it snowed yesterday, so no action on thoughts of spring; we'll be home in a warmer place this weekend and its supposed to be in the 70s(F). What a shock it will be! Love the new cut and the color is so becoming with your blue frames….
ceci
Whoa, that's a serious change of weather direction! My daughter and her family had to leave Rome's 22 Celsius with sunshine behind for our 11 degrees and rain here, but that's not nearly so drastic. Enjoy the warmth back home even more now that you've experienced elsewhere's cold!
First day of sun today, but still quite chilly (10C). No thoughts yet of giving up heavy scarves,coats and boots. But in the course of the last two months I bought two pairs of ankle booties (second hand, of course) to add a bit of colour to my wardrobe: one in burgundy and the other in a kind of dark turquoise. (Hereabouts it is called "petrol" – is that a colour in your parts?)
Sounds as if we're at about the same temperatures, although we're edging toward 12 by week's end, apparently. All rain, though.
You're such a good secondhand shopper, and those boots sound like treasures for adding colour stylishly. But no, I haven't heard "petrol" used as a colour term — we don't often hear "petrol" at all in N. America, actually, the common term being "gasoline," almost always shortened to "gas."
I never wear patterns , especially florals but the graphic pattern on that jumper is lovely . Spring is springing round here & the medieval walls of our city are covered in Daffs . There is a coating of frost on the ground this morning though – the price we pay for clear skies early in the year . Hope we haven't pruned everything too early .
That's me forgetting my name again !
Wendy in York
I've been trying not to wear patterns (I suspect they don't always do my small frame favours), but I continue to fall in love with them and then sometimes just can't resist, as with this.
Daffodils on medieval walls — wish I were there to see, although I'll admit I'm not keen to roll back into frost now. Forsythia's blooming fiercely here now, so very unlikely our pruning efforts will backfire. Hope same's true for you.
So pleased to hear you're doing some writing for yourself! I have dabbled in the Artist's Way thing a few times over the years, but as you say, that sense of obligation ends up taking the joy out of it for me. I tried to post on your reading blog a little while back to say that although I rarely comment any more, I'm still around – the reason for my silence is I'm currently teaching full-time AND doing a full-time Masters in Creative Writing. Yes, I'm insane, but I am so happy to be doing both – never mind that my house is a mess and meals are less elaborate than they used to be. When I'm not reading or writing for my course, I'm utterly absorbed in reading and writing poetry and it's wonderful. Best of luck with everything you are doing – and don't spread yourself too thin!
There was a snafu with comments on my reading blog — they're all up now, and yesterday's post explained the delay.
I'm absolutely thrilled that you're doing that Masters — a kind of insanity I relate to, having done some crazy juggling with gradschool, work, and family, throughout my 40s and 50s — challenging but so rewarding, so transformative.
Ah yes, spreading myself too thin. . . it's happened before 😉
I like the patterned top, and the coat. Just bought a floral for a skirt, with the actually absurd thought that I would squeeze some sewing in between packing.
I have struggled back and forth with morning pages for years, but am consistently doing them again in the morning. Much as I'd like to not devote that time to that activity, I find it actually helps me sort and prioritize my thought. I think morning is important, useful both creatively, and actually practically. I am amazed at the number of people I know who credit morning pages as part of their success, not necessarily writers or artists, but others as well: a contractor friend who has built a business restoring and maintaining historic homes, an architect, a couple of CEOs and CFOs, at least one physicist. I increasingly think the practice is a bridge for letting all the things that hold us back out, and letting our inner creativity flow, whatever form that creative force may reveal itself.
I love that leopard coat!