Monday, June 5, 2017

Oopsy Daisy, or Curiouser and Curiouser

 

A "daisy" here refers to the clusters of daisies we witnessed as we walked along the trail we choose for a walk last Sunday, which felt almost like fields of daisies and foxgloves covering the softly rolling hills, very poetic. And an "oopsy" refers to my orange linen pants (previously worn last Summer and shown here: JUNE, JULY, AUGUST in all sorts of inspiring places, so you might want to check out those posts if not for pants, then for beautiful nature and wildlife, which by the way will be plentiful in this post, and I really need to finish this loooong sentence right here ... I'm sure I will hear a sigh of relief now ... there!).


See a daisy dance!


So if you checked the previous posts, you might have noticed that the pants got much less baggy...and also much shorter. What is it? Am I still playing Alice in Wonderland, you ask? “Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).” That could be it! I get surprised on a regular basis, and I forget how to speak good English even more regularly. But I think this time it was not me, but my pants that decided to play Alice. They found a bottle that said DRINK ME, and before I knew it, they shrunk. I think the bottle was found at the depths of my washing machine, or maybe at the heights of my dryer. And so far, no cakes with the words EAT ME has been found anywhere to grow the pants back to normal size. Definitely, curiouser and curiouser!



As you can see, I do not despair and still wear my shortened orange pants, as they are quite comfortable for Summer temperatures, especially if I want to be able to move around a lot. I haven't decided yet, but I think I might like this look even better. They make me think of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, their boisterous adventures, and along with the fields of daisies dancing in the breeze, bring me back to my own childhood years and my own mischievous escapades. And that is not a bad thing!    





I picked a black cotton top that I bought last Winter for about $20 on clearance. It has beautiful lacey details and will combine with many things in my wardrobe. To tell the truth, I have never owned a top quite like it before, so you can say it is outside of my comfort zone, or at least it used to be. Once in my 20s, I crocheted a tank top, that was the closest thing to this kind of look. I like it, but I need to get used to it. I also purchased a matching skirt, though it is fully lined, so it isn't see-through, like its companion top. I wore this top with a tank-top underneath, but I feel that I can get brave enough to wear it without, maybe for a romantic evening with this one gentleman who is actually quite fond of this positively naughty top! 



The orange accents I have owned for years, the ring and bangles are especially old friends, the hat is from last Summer, and I am more and more in love with it. Contemporary fashion isn't especially hat-oriented, so many people feel somewhat weird about hats, I think. Otherwise, why would you hear phrases like "I don't have a hat face" or "If only I could pull it off". I think, it is just the habits that we form, or rather don't form. There are hats for everyone, really, just think of old times when all men and women wore hats - I bet the thoughts about not having a "hat face" have never entered their minds. Hats were fashionable, and that was it. So be adventurous, just try them on, experiment, and you will find a hat or two that you will absolutely love to wear. In the beginning, it might feel a bit strange though, so it'll take some courage to wear a hat in a non-hat-oriented society. I started wearing hats much more frequently within the last couple of years, and I think eventually I will get into more adventurous styles. But even classic hats like fedoras, panamas and floppy hats elevate my style immediately. And they are practical too, protecting from sun, rain or cold temperatures. So if you haven't given yourself a chance to add hats to your wardrobe just yet, I encourage you to do it. There is no looking back once you start wearing hats!





And a few words about the trail we walked. It is called BPA Trail (read HERE if you're interested) and it runs through a big chunk of the city of Federal Way, almost 4 miles long, with a sister trail going a different direction. It is one of my favorite walking trails, and I wrote about it in my old Russian blog (if you read Russian, or if you just want to see some photos of the trail and old photos of my family, go HERE). I stopped updating that blog a few years ago, I can't even remember the password anymore, but to be honest I write in Russian infinitely better than I write in English, and I miss writing and connecting in my native language... That blog depicts a HUGE and very important and dear to me part of my life, and I will always treasure it for what it is, but I don't see myself coming back and continuing to write it - sometimes in life, it is vital to move on.









It was one of the happiest weekends, and I thank my two dearest people for sharing it with me. I love you guys! And thank you, my dear friends and readers, for sharing this walk with me. I love sharing and connecting. It's one of the most significant parts about life, that we share it with others, and I am so grateful that I have you to share my outfits, my thoughts and little bits of my life with!

Curiouser-and-curiouser-ly Yours,
Natasha

My outfit:
Top, tank-top underneath, linen pants, hat, bracelet, earrings - all from Lane Bryant, different years
Ring - $5 boutique find (long time ago)
Sandals - via Nordstrom Rack
Purse - via Eloquii

UPDATE:
Linking up my shrunken pants with our June Modish Matrons wONdErFuL theme -
it is open for the whole month, come and join us any time!

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14 comments:

  1. Natalia, I took a look at the beautiful video of the Olympic Peninsula you took last year when your pants were longer! I'm enchanted with the background music on the video. Such an inspirational instrumental piece for the inspirational vistas. Do you remember what it is? Thanks so much for your posts - you inspire me to wear something fun every day even when it's grey and drizzling here in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia (so near to you!) Also to be happy every day, even though every day is not a highlight. XO

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    1. Thank you so much for your always kind comments, Karen!! You write so eloquently and with a lot of heart, have you thought about writing your own blog? Blogging is so much fun!

      To answer your question, I looked up that video, and I didn't find any info about the music, sorry. When you make videos on Youtube, there is a huge list of free music you can choose from. Some of them require the reference to the composer/musician, and others don't. I guess it was one of those pieces without requirements. I usually go by how it feels. I wanted something uplifting, contemporary, energetic, yet sill relaxing. You can choose from rock, classical, jazz etc. You can also choose by the length of the piece - 1 min, 3 min etc. It's a fun creative project to make music videos. I am certainly not a pro, but it was great to try something new!

      Hugs!

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  2. Oh Natalia, you are so a warm, humorous and emotional person. This post is so warm and wonderful, with the funny touch. I love every word! every picture! and I am grateful for your virtuell friendship. I send you much love, you look fabulous! Very big hug, Tina

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    1. Thank you, my dearest! I knew you'd appreciate the Alice connection and humor! :))

      Much love to you, sweet friend!

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  3. Thank you for sharing your walk with us, Natalia! those foxgloves are lovely, seeing them always makes me happy.
    I wouldn't have known those trousers had shrunk until I looked back and saw how they fitted originally but they still look good and the colour is so you! The earrings are stunning.
    Isn't it funny when people say that they're not hat people? They drive me mad. xxx

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    1. Thank you, my dear Vix! The color has faded a little. I started to understand exactly why you love vintage so much! Definitely, the quality nowadays isn't inspired or inspiring in many cases... But I guess I can look at these pants as "lived in", and it has its own charm!

      Much love!

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  4. this pants!!! shrunk soooo much!! strange....
    :-D
    but still a very pretty summer leg dress! even more summery in that short length! the landscape looks like some corners here - only our paths are not made of asphalt :-) the "daisies" are wild marguerites and growing around here too on dry meadows......
    is it legal in USA to wear a lacey top only with a bra? ;-P
    huge hugs - my dear! xxxxxx

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    1. I would have to check with the American Constitution about bras! ;)

      This path is definitely a civilized city version of a walking trail - there are no asphalt trails in our state parks or wild forests. But it makes it easier to get from one town corner to another on foot or bike, especially in our wet climate, without worrying to get dirty. :)

      I didn't know about wild margaritas! I just call this type of flower daisy - ромашка In Russian!

      Lots of love, my dearest!!

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  5. What a lush walk, thanks for taking us with you! I love the fox gloves and daisies! The pants look very good cropped, so sometimes it is good for shrinkage to happen! Love the lace in black what a great buy. and Anya, is so beautiful, love her look too.
    Your English is perfect, silly!
    xx, Elle
    http://www.theellediaries.com/

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  6. I actually prefer the cropped version of your orange pants - very Huckleberry Finn indeed. They really suit you. Let's say it was a happy accident caused by your washing machine. What always strikes me though is that if you actually want something to shrink, it doesn't happen. What a lovely walk among the daisies and foxgloves. I'm loving your naughty lace top, and you are absolutely correct about the hats. There's one to suit everyone, and they're such a joy to wear. Your daughter is a beautiful and graceful girl. But you'd better watch out, as she might steal your hat ;-) Lots of love xxx

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    1. Thank you, Ann! Wouldn't it be handy if we could shrink our clothes when we need...and stretch it back out when we need? :) Love!

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  7. so amazing landscapes, and so delightful path to go for a walk! fabulous pics and videos!. And your orange pants look really nice anyway, they're more casual now, but the color is still bright and beautiful, the shape is cute, and I think you look gorgeous wearing them with all those orange accents!, and your top is stunning too!.
    Glad that this accident with the washing machine created something different but still cool!.
    I also think that there's a hat for everybody!, but most of the people don't give hats a try!.

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    1. Thank you, Monica, my dear! Yes, it was a happy accident indeed, not a bad one! :) <3

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