Grey Square Neck: Laundry circa 1998

This is one of the first "designer" pieces I ever bought. I got it at Loehmann's in West Palm Beach when my parents lived nearby. It cost a fortune by my standards at that time - approaching $80.00 at a discount store 10 years ago! Man, that store was always good for a great buy...

This pullover is a very slim knit and cut. After I had my daughter I could barely fit it over my arms - much less my chest! It took until a couple of years ago before I could wear it again (and it's a bit shorter than I'd like given my current "figure challenges" read: stomach).



Here it is (seen below) with amazing new vintage jacket I bought a couple of months ago. The jacket is very fitted, wool with a flare at the waist. You can't actually see any of that in this picture, which is why I'll post about it again another time... Oh, and the belt (seen above) is metal - from Anne Taylor about 10 years ago. It was $50.00 - which also seemed steep - but look, I'm still wearing it.

My husband likes to call this my "political bio" photo. Ha!

Oversize Oatmeal Cardi: YaYa Aflalo circa 2006

This piece is so warm, so deliciously amorphous. But it does add volume... (I discovered this particularly while looking at about 10 photos I deleted instantaneously!)


The funnel sleeve is my fave element - or maybe it's the shawl collar. This piece feels amazing with a cashmere cami underneath (not that I appear to be wearing one). But, yes, I own one of those too...

Brown Cable Knit: Ca Va de Soi circa 2007

I know these aren't the best shots ever, but I'm trying to show you the versatility of thick cashmere (albeit in a fitted style) to create a long, slim silhouette.



This Ca Va de Soi sweater (cashmere and merino), from Ewanika, was on sale for about $100.00. It was very well-priced, IMO, given its original price was twice that, and the cashmere isn't flimsy in any way. It's got give but it snaps back.

Its greatest strength may also be seen as a bit of a flaw: It's a very bizarre, potentially hard to manage, caramel colour. Given how well it fits, I'm sure this is the only reason it ever made it to the sale. But with my new, crazy highlights (and my propensity to mix yellow with anything) it works particularly well.

Looks great with skinnies and leggings too...

'Shmere Campaign

My husband came up with this title and he'd like you all to be aware of that. :-)

At any rate, y'all know (if you've read this blog at least twice) that I'm a bit of a freak for cashmere. There are few substances in the world that thrill me as much. It's so soft, so fluffy, so slim, so durable, so insanely warm. And it comes in so many deniers. I own cashmere that's thin enough to be translucent. I own cashmere that's thick enough to be cable knit. I own scarves, glove sleeves, hats and - natch - sweaters. Practically zillions of them - or maybe more like 10. Of course this doesn't include the many sweaters I have that are constructed of merino wool.

I suppose now's a good time to say, please don't judge. I live in Canada peeps; it's frickin' cold here! Besides, never has a girl taken such good care of or enjoyed every element of buying, owning and wearing the stuff. So it's all good.

Recently, I came up with this idea. It includes:

• 2 pairs of shoes
• 1 skirt
• 3 jackets and
• 4 cashmere sweaters

What I've decided to do over the next few days is post photos of me in (basically) the same outfit - working a few styles of cashmere to (I've gotta hope) good advantage.

To kick things off, here's a couple of shots of me in that new - admittedly not cashmere - Club Monaco V neck I profiled last week. Talk about getting your money's worth in photos and copy!

It Appears I Love A Lot of Things...

I never realized how much I totally love the things I love, until I started this blog and it occurred to me that you, my friends, might love them too!

So here's today's offering, Sahale Snack Blends:
I particularly love the Ksar mix, a delish combo of pistachios, pumkin seeds, dried figs and spicy zing. It's salty, sweet, spicy heaven! And it's entirely healthful / within the spectrum of one's daily diet.

I love it when nutrition and satiety converge!

PS Just reread this and it sounds very "advertise-y"! No one paid me to endorse this product. I swear. :-)

A Note of Warning...

Found this in the window of a vintage store on Ossington I walked past after dinner at Delux.

Of Course You Know I Bought Stuff...

But first, here's what I didn't buy:

• Skinny leather belt painted gold. So disco meets euro chic. ($49.00)
  
• Insanely comfortable, beautiful, appealing elbow-length cashmere gloves in grey. ($79.00)
  

Yes, I loved them both. Yes, I could envision 12 outfits for each piece. But, alas, one is being "thoughtful" about consumption lately. And about paying off the bathroom reno in this decade.

Which is why I am sheepish to report that I did not leave without:

• Amazing merino wool harlequin pattern v-neck sweater. (on sale! $59.00) Pls. note, despite the weird colour scheme in the photo, it is a perfect combo of burgundy and cherry red, great length, shows off cleavage very well (but respectably) and has that super merino ability to be durably slim and sleek.

• 

• Warm, cozy, fine, navy blue cashmere sweater (honestly, well-priced at $99.00). I believe that navy blue looks as chic, if not better, than black on 85% of women. It doesn't zap the colour from one's natural complexion. And it goes so well with every other colour in the universe. I must disclose that this is not my first cashmere scarf. I do have another in steel grey, very fine (from Portugal), that is truthfully more of a shawl than a scarf. It is so dear that I feel it is for indoor use only. Not to mention that, given it's dimensions, while very slim, it's too bulky to wear around the neck under a coat. My mother calls this shawl my "blankie". You can see why I need one for outdoor use. And this new navy scarf is perfect in every way.