Character vs. Elegance

This was such a fun and easy outfit to wear to a lunch date with my sweetheart (a.k.a. husband). I have lots of orange in my closet, I'm sure you've noticed by now. I love colors, but if I had to pick just one, for the last few years orange has been a strong favorite. I love all the shades of it - rust, pumpkin, carrot, coral, 'orange' orange...you name it! And I also love polka dots (which you've probably also noticed by now), so you can see how this skirt came to my radar. It's a last Spring Lane Bryant skirt, and I sort of "lurked at it" for a while, and when it finally went on clearance sale, I snapped it at a very low price (which is my frequent tactic - I rarely buy anything full price). 

The blouse, on the other hand, was this Spring (also Lane Bryant), and I bought it in store when they had some kind of sale on tops. I don't wear a lot of button down shirts, but this one is very special, with ruffles, very feminine indeed. I probably told you that blue has never been my favorite color, but I noticed that I started warming up to it in the last couple of years. This blouse is a very delicate shade of grayish blue, close to French blue I suppose. Pearls look beautiful with it.

It is made of light cotton with what we call merezhka in Russian (мережка), drawn thread work - a type of simple embroidery that we were learning to do in elementary school (my Mom was my teacher for three years, and she taught us the main simple types of embroideries, sewing buttons and things like that, when we were 7 to 9 years old). My accessories are old, especially this jute and raffia purse with a dangling wooden sand dollar on it. I bought it at a retail shop almost 12 years ago, way before I lived in a place that was covered with sand dollars.

I used to be all about elegance when I was younger. The "old me" would probably have found about 10 things that were wrong with each and every one of the outfits I create nowadays: wrong fit, wrong shoes, too wrinkly et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And even though I still am able to appreciate an elegant outfit, I have to say it feels restricting to me. There are certain ways you have to be if you strive for traditional elegance, certain rules you have to obey. With a goal to be classically elegant, there is not much room left for just being in the moment, for being caught up by raw creativity, and without creative freedom, life feels stifling to me. That is probably why elegance isn't my priority any longer, and I don't apply the same criteria to my outfits as I used to. What's important about an outfit now is that it has charm and personality. It's rather an outfit with a character, including the flaws. Life, with all its constant moving and changing, isn't flawless. I guess I prefer outfits that are living - outfits as a metaphor for life.

And what do you think? What matters to you when you create your outfits? 

Skirt, blouse, hat, sunglasses - Lane Bryant (sales, various years)

Purse - Sun N Sand (old - look at new selections on their site HERE) 

Sandals - Merrell via Nordstrom Rack (last year)

Pearls - gifts from friends (old)

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