Out of the Writer's Closet

Listen, guys, I started this post countless times and did not like the way it went and just hesitated to post. But I guess I'll just come and say what's real right now. I often find myself indifferent to fashion/style during hot weather, and this summer is unusually hot for our region (and for me, a mild weather kind of girl). I sort of lost interest in all that. But I am super busy exploring other areas of creativity, and have been busy cooking (I know, it sounds like a paradox, because it's hot in the kitchen too), or reading about cooking, or writing about cooking, or watching cooking shows (plenty on You-tube), and also very much into creative writing, particularly writing fiction. On the top of that I am starting a new creative writing link-up, dedicated to daily writing sketches. 

Getting out of the closet as a writer is a huge deal. Being raised in a culture that pretty much considers only one way of doing things the "right" way and getting a fancy university education studying all sorts of great writers of the world can be challenging, intimidating and can be big road blocks to get over. Think of it like this: imagine finding your own voice in styling, getting out there in front of other brilliant stylish women and telling them - this is me, this is who I am, love it or leave it. It takes guts, courage, and everything you can think of in this context. But we do it just because it's as important as breathing to us. Can you imagine wearing only sweatpants and dull T-shirts for the rest of your life? I thought so. No more than that can I imagine keeping myself from my desire to write and share. For your and my own convenience I decided to only publish fiction on my other blog (Write and Link will still use In the Writer's Closet as its home base). If you are interested, you can follow my other blog, Out of the Writer's Closet, and read all the details about daily sketches, or writing exercises, HERE. And if you're not, oh well, then you'll probably need to be patient and just wait until the style bug bites me again - I know it will, perhaps when it'll cool down here (though I have one or two summer dresses in mind, and might post them some time soon). In any case, thank you for everything, for all your kind and encouraging comments, I do appreciate them very, very much! And here are a couple of latest outfits when I did at least some attempt to bow to Style.

Reset

I'm a born redhead. I mean, literally I am, it is not a figure of speech. My Mom tells me that I was born with red (and, apparently, long!) hair. I'm not really surprised - my father and everyone in his family have copper hair, and there are a few redheads on mama's side too. But my baby red hair turned into blond, then into medium brown - though it always had a copperish tone visible under straight sunlight. 

Definitely Spring, Definitely Surprises

I showed this shirt dress last Winter here and here, and now it's Spring style. 

Lots of green. Lots and lots of green. 

But not only! What else?

Sense, Sensibility & Matryoshka

Weathermen predicted a rainy day which screwed up my plans for what I wanted to wear to our family day trip. I tried this and that, and the pile of rejected pieces rapidly grew on my bed. I almost gave up and was ready to turn to an easy option like a pair of jeans, which definitely would make my life simpler - and the hell with all that being true to my creative self stuff. I did not sleep enough the night before, and the gray skies did not brighten my mood either. But I knew that what I really wanted was to wear a new maxi dress which was in my closet waiting for a couple of weeks for warmer weather and just the right occasion for its first outing.

History: State and Personal

When our daughter was little, we visited our state capital Olympia a couple of times. It's is a beautiful small town (population 48,338 as recorded in 2013) on the very south end of Puget Sound, only 50 minutes drive from our home. 

Does It Happen to You?

You open your closet and... go blank.

The things that you have been choosing for yourself with joy and excitement, or at least with some form of curiosity or satisfaction, the things for which you were more than willing pay more or less good money (is there such a thing as bad money though?) because they spoke so loudly to you...

all those things keep silent. Nothing feels exciting. Nothing feels special. At least, not today, or this very moment when you need to dress and go. Everything feels wrong. 

If it ever happens to you, what do you do?

Girl Next Door

On Fridays, when Justin gets out of work earlier than usual, we like to go out to lunch together. One of our favorite places is an Indian restaurant - I believe it's the only one in the nearest town, and it's without a doubt the best Indian I've tried. (I sometimes think, 'can food get any better than that?' There is something so satisfying about Indian cuisine on so many levels - taste, visual presence with colors and all, variety of textures, and of course, of course the heavenly wonderful smells!) I typically choose to wear something bright and colorful in honor of this culture, but yesterday, I felt like breaking the familiar mold.

Steampunk... ish

I'm not planning to attend a Halloween party this year, but if I were, I'd come up with a steampunk-ish costume. I can't say I'm a fan, but I find the visual elements of the subculture very interesting and inspiring. What's not to love? The subtle muted color palette, the layering, the textures, both the historical and fantasy influences, the whimsical detailed accessories stimulate imagination and make me want to incorporate at least some of these elements into my everyday style. I first heard of steampunk subculture only a few months back when a friend told Justin and I about a festival in Port Townsend which we consider visiting next year. 

Summer Suddenly

It feels like SUMMER! So sunny and warm - my favorite kind of temperatures, mid 70s to lower 80s, not too hot and not humid. Just PERFECT! 

I think you can probably tell that I'm pretty happy today. Why yes, I am! I do apologize for less than usual quality of photos though. It's all because Someone forgot her camera at home when she was hurrying to meet Someone Else in the early afternoon. That Someone would be me, of course. And the Someone Else would be, yes that's right - Justin who offered to take pictures with his phone, bless his soul and the modern technology.

Weekend Dress

Last weekend, Justin and I took a trip, as usual, to a couple of small towns northeast of where we live. The pier on which I stand in this photo very well could be the longest wooden pier in the whole state, and the houses behind me are the cutest little community called Indianola, which started as a community of summer homes and is now a census-designated place with its own post office (again, probably one of tiniest in the state, if not the whole country) and a club house.

Washington Secrets

Love this picture. In my imagination, I am staying in a small old town somewhere in Europe. It's raining. The Old World is about to uncover some of its wonderful secrets in front of me. Then, I go to my hotel room - in an old building with very thick walls made of stone. I have a cup of something cozy, so I don't get sick after all day walking in the rain. I also start a fire in an old brick fireplace. As I hear the crackling sound, my body suddenly feels relaxed and very heavy. Maybe I snooze for a while. Maybe I get a notebook out and start writing.

All Your Pretty Purses

...and necklaces!

These pictures were taken in February - the very last day of it. It was such a beautiful, Spring-y day! This sort of outfit is my "go-to" these days. I love elements of military style in women's fashion - although I prefer gold and brass to a camouflage print (triumph and parade vs. hardship and sweat - I guess my associations are something like that). What about you? How do you like your military inspired clothing?

Quirky

I came across these pair of shoes last Spring at Nordstrom Rack. They are by Jeffrey Campbell, quite an edgy Californian brand of shoes, and they are nothing like I've had before - or even like I've seen before. Quite cosmic. Quite edgy. Quite quirky. I had no idea how I would wear them, but I felt instantly in love, almost like with an art object. I love everything about them! There is not one single detail I don't enjoy. They are partly vintage, partly hippy, and partly Japan to me.

As Bright As The Sun

I have been watching this sweater by Lane Bryant for a little while. And when I ran into $14.99 sweater sale at the store, I got four in different colors - all rich and vibrant, just as I like. You can get this deal at your local LB store - practically, you get four sweaters for the price of one (regular prices $50 or $60 depending on design). So when the sun is out, you are also out and as bright as the sun. :)

Shirt Dress in Winter?

So let's see what happened lately, in a couple of weeks when I wasn't posting any new outfits. Hmm... As my holiday gifts, I received a few parcels from a few different companies, and it was easy enough to decide what to keep and what not to keep, so I returned a few dresses and one pair of pants and kept a couple of things which I plan to show some time soon in the blog. I cut my hair almost two weeks ago - and it is how it looks now, amazing how leisurely my hair grows. :) I started taking yoga classes, and not just yoga, but hot yoga, which makes sense to me, being Russian who adores banya (Russian version of sauna). And finally, as a family, we celebrated our daughter's 11th birthday (her party for friends is tomorrow).

Camel and Teal

Out and About, or New Casual

Another of my 2-in-1, or more like 3-in-1 posts. :)

I enjoy dressing up, but equally I appreciate lazy "comftubl" days when I don't have to get out of cozy home clothes. Considering that being in such a homey mood doesn't always prevent us from going out, it's a great idea to have a few outfits which feel comfy yet still look elegant. 

Time for Royal Coziness

Sweater dresses are fun, cozy and elegant all at the same time. I remember wearing them years ago when I was still a college student. Have they ever fallen out of fashion? I can't remember! But I have fallen out of them for a while. Until I discovered this 100% wool sweater dress at Chico's clearance sale (for only about $30 or so it was an irresistible offer).

Feminine Shine, Clogs & Frogs

The Feminine Shine Utility jacket by Chico's was one of those items which sell fast. It's pretty unique and got my attention right away. When I found it on a 40% off rack in a store, it was the only one of this kind with all sort of other jackets, and just like a little girl, I made a wish that it would be in my size. :)

Youthful

Our unusually foggy weather calls for cozy lately. I didn't want to get out of these soft and comfy leggings (first shown here) even for my library work. (Did I tell you that I am a storyteller?) I decided to give it a more professional look by wearing a white office shirt and a bright cardigan to break the two week long fog!