Soft

If you live outside of California and are wondering where the sun and all its heat is, well, we seem to be hogging it all over here in the Bay Area. Early last week when I wore this outfit, it was barely making it into the low 50's during the day, but by the weekend it was downright HOT. As in shorts and bare arms kind of hot. As in don't leave the house without your sunscreen hot. Apparently there just isn't enough sun to go around right now; sorry guys. Don't blame me; you can always come to California, you know.

Speaking of the miserable weather in the rest of the country, that's exactly what I'm headed for on Thursday, and I have to admit I'm slightly terrified. First I'm off to New York to meet up with Sal for some Fashion Week events and also to meet a few of my favorite other bloggers; after that I'm headed to Seattle for my friend Lisa's wedding, and from there I'll continue to Oregon to visit my family and attend my sister's wedding. It's the New York bit that really scares me; other than a couple of times in Iceland, the last time I had any serious exposure to snow was in 2000, and believe me I have not missed it. You might even say I've actively avoided it.


Whenever I think about how wimpy I am when it comes to temperature extremes (and by "extremes" I mean anything lower than 50°F or higher than 80°F), I'm reminded of that old song from the 90's, "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)." The line goes, "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft." Well, if being soft is a crime then lock me up; just don't make me live anywhere it snows.

Sweater dress: Banana Republic
Scarf: Forever 21
Belt: Audra Jean
Tights: MP, via Sock Dreams
Boots: Bata

Cocoon

Awhile back I decided I should get myself a sweater dress, having seen Sal look great in them as well as a couple of ladies I've spotted at work. But I also decided I would buy one second hand, because I figured the sort of dress I was looking for would cost more than I was willing to pay. So off I went to the thrift shop, and though I didn't find one there, I thankfully stopped in at Crossroads Trading Company, where I snagged this seemingly never-worn one for just $18.

I had some pretty specific requirements for the dress, too, which makes it even more miraculous that I found it. It had to have a cowl neck, long sleeves, be a thick cable knit and not too clingy, and be soft and of good quality. This one is 100% merino wool, and as you can see it clearly satisfies all the other requirements. It feels like wearing a big cocoon; I couldn't be more thrilled with it.

I added the harness to give the boxy dress a little shape, and tied the scarf cowboy-style up under the cowl in order to bring some vibrant color to the outfit. Adding the purple scarf reminded me that it had been awhile since I'd worn these pretty purple boots, which I thought paired well with the edgy harness.

Dress: Banana Republic
Harness: Audra Jean
Scarf: a long-ago gift
Boots: Eject