Cardigan Crazy

I went a little crazy lately - on floral blouses and long cardigans. The blouses were all found at Goodwill, so no feeling guilty there. This particular one came home with me from our mini-vacation in Oregon, and I just adore it. It reminds me of blouses my Mom used to wear back in the 1980s (and of course I also got to wear at least one of them, with a pussy bow and very similar sleeves). The fabric and the floral design seem so charmingly old-fashioned, and oh those colors! I will admit, it is irresistible, and I just want to wear it all the time. 

We took these pictures in Burien, on Three Tree Point (there is a small spot for public beach access) while waiting for our daughter to finish her class. Joni, thank you for your suggestion - it really was a pretty drive, gorgeous views of Puget Sound, and plenty of beautiful houses too. I really enjoy exploring Burien these days.

One more thing makes me extra happy these days - pattern mixing. This long cardigan is from Chico's "fancy" and trendy line, Black Label (bought on good sale, of course) - excellent quality, good mix of acrylic/wool/cotton, the design which suggests both fashionable and timeless - winner in my book. I also love the rich texture of this knit, and the way it plays with the feminine peasant blouse.

I also combined the thrifted floral blouse with another new cardigan. I loved it the very first time I saw it on Lane Bryant 's site - it's from their Sophie Theallet collaboration, and I find her whimsical designs magical and a little "old world" which I adore. I was not comfortable paying full price, but that's what sales are for - so happy I snapped it up at 50% off. The quality is great, it's a pretty thick knit, woven pattern, 100% cotton (actually, 90% cotton and 10% cashmere - I looked it up). I was not sure about the color, but as I mentioned before, lately I'm really warming up to different shades of blue, and I think it works, especially with intense red hair right now.

These photos were taken in Volunteer Park in Seattle (Capitol Hill) - in front of the Asian Art Museum which was free admission today. We took my parents to enjoy the beautiful old park (one of the very first parks in Seattle/Tacoma area), an orchid show held at the Victorian Conservatory, and my Dad and I even got up the steep stairs of the water tower and enjoyed the panoramic views from the observation deck. 

We have sunny, and a little windy weather, and even though I'm so ready for colorful light skirts, I was happy to wear cozy long cardigans these couple of days. There will be time for bright floral skirts too.

Outfit #1

Blouse - thrifted (Goodwill, $7)

Long cardigan - Chico's Black Label (sale)

Pencil skirt - Chico's (old)

Tights - Hue

Booties - Ecco

Purse - B Makowsky

Earrings - Russian hand painted enamel (finift), bought them 20 years ago

Outfit #2

Blouse - as above

Cardigan Lane Bryant Sophie Theallet (sale)

Pants - can't remember the label, bought them in a boutique on Bainbridge Island last year

Purse - thrifted (antique mall)

Shoes - AGL via Nordstrom Rack

Earrings - Russian hand painted enamel (finift), bought them on Ebay years ago

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Come on over to Patti's Visible Monday

and Anne's 52 Pick-me-up: Pattern Max!