Moments of Late Fall 2014 & Winter Solstice

Upper: 1. Family Day in Seattle. 2. Love and Airplanes. 3. Adventures in Music.

Middle: 1. If You Let It (also see Versatile). 2. Rare Guests. 3. Brr.

Lower: 1. Of Kangaroos... 2. Theater Twists. 3. Retro in Tacoma.

I like to look back and see the mosaic I created with my days and in this case with my outfits in a certain period of time. I started this series as a once a month post, but lately do it in bigger chunks of time, say twice a season. So here I gathered a few outfits from early November till late December, right up to Winter Solstice which took place this past Sunday, December 21 this year. Here in America people consider this day the beginning of Winter. Back in Russia, we would always celebrate the beginning of a new season on the first of the month - March 1 for Spring, June 1 for Summer, September 1 for Fall and December 1 for Winter. There really is no right or wrong way to do it. What do you consider the beginning of a new season, personally and culturally? Do share!

Moments of Early Fall 2014

 

1st (upper) row: 1. Olive Overalls. 2. Reorganized. 3. Everyday Wonder

2nd row from the top: 1. Between. 2. In Love. 3. Dress, Play, Explore

3rd row from the top: 1. One, Two, Three (the third outfit) 2. Steampunk...ish. 3. One Dark Ooky Night

4th (lower) row: 1&2. October Babies.  3. You're Gonna Hear Her Roar

I picked a few (not all) of the outfits I showed on the blog from mid-September through the end of October. I enjoy seeing a bunch of my outfit photos together because I can see how my preferences evolve. For instance, I can see here that lately I embrace what I used to love in my 20s - simple shapes, layers and elegance as in timelessness, but on a new level which only the last year of style exploration and me-exploration allowed me to get to. Bright colors, bold patterns, and such details as embroidery add a whimsical, rich and unique, individual feel to the outfits which I assemble from what's available on sale in a few shops that I like and occasional thrifting trips to Goodwill and such. And I have to say that I am surprised, but given that I don't design or make my own clothes, and don't have finances to buy designer labels, it's all pretty much inexpensive mass market stuff, available to anyone, but I have yet to meet a woman who dresses like me. 

Moments of Summer 2014: Details Matter

 

 

Upper Row: 1. A Bit of Americana. 2. Hot. 3. 1940s, Here I Come

2nd Row: 1. Bluegrass Rediscovered. 2. Off With Your Pants. 3. Change of Focus.

3rd Row: 1. Jacket Friendly. 2. Foot Ferry Romance. 3. One Year.

Lowest Row: 1. Few Little Things. 2. Kubota Garden and Real Adventure Man. 3. High on Life.

I realized that I haven't done my usual recaps for the whole three months of Summer (the last one was in June, and you can find all of them by clicking on the tag monthly moments). As both my daughter and I got a bit sicky, hence no new outfit photos or any planned outings this weekend, I though I'd reflect on details and accessories a little and make them the focus of my summer outfits recap. So, in no particular order, my outfits shown in the blog from July through mid-September (which is considered Autumn in Russia where I am from, but is still officially Summer here in the US). And let us talk about details this time. I'm very interested in what you think!

Moments of June 2014 & What Did Not Make It

My friends, I want to thank you all for visiting and leaving such lovely, warm, heartfelt comments! You are the best bunch of blogging friends which have ever existed in the whole Bloglandia! :) Very often, you praise me for being the sunshine of this land, but please always know that you brighten my days just as much! 

June was pretty versatile and balanced month - I wore both dresses and skirts, jeans and a jumpsuit, denim jacket and cardigans, and even a new member of my closet family - a kaftan! I did not post as often as I used to, but because I combined a few outfits in two or three posts, I still managed to show a lot here on the blog. I only picked 9 outfits for the recap. If you missed some and would like to see them, here are the links:

Upper Row: 1. Thrifted Treasure. 2. Fruit. 3. She's Cool

Middle Row: 1. Gold. 2&3 Kaftan & Ombre

Lower Row: 1&2 (plus some more) in Friendship Story. 3 (and some more) in Layer It

Moments of May 2014: Dress Madness

May has always been a big month for me - first of all because I was born in May, and it's kind of hard to ignore that fact. :) May is always beautiful - even in harsh Siberia it's a very gentle month when nature slowly starts waking up, the snow is finally melted, and the first leaves, buds and flowers start showing up here and there. New light in the sky, new smells in the air. Tenderness - that is the word for May. Tenderness and femininity. No wonder May is also the month when Mother's Day is celebrated in America, with an abundance of gardens blooming madly (I always think of Bella Q now when I think of blooming).

Moments of April 2014

April was about mixing patterns - florals, stripes, plaid! Lots of bright colors. And with cool temperatures, still sweaters and coats. I also had good times thrifting (you can find some of my treasures under the label "secondhand"). There are even more thrift finds in store. Sometimes, it's all about waiting for a perfect pairing ... and if there is anything I'm terrible at... it is waiting! Mom used to tell me "hold your horses", when I was younger. When I told Justin once that he got extra patience when he was born, he replied that I did not, and that I did not have the patience to wait for it. We both burst with laughter - that's how true it is! To tell me to "hold on" is the same as telling a May storm to hold on. There is only so much holding on we can do, guys. Honestly!

What's next then? I envision dresses! Lots and lots of dresses.
Cough, cough.
Actually, I don't even have "lots and lots of dresses"... yet.
But I have a few which I am so eager to style. So hold on tight, May, here I come!

Moments of March 2014

March was about adding more patterns and getting into shoes. Not that I walked barefoot before March (though, barefoot is actually my favorite kinda footwear). But I discovered extra interest in shoes and got a few wonderful pairs, some of which I have already shown in my blog, and others I haven't yet. Floral patterns are on my mind a lot. 

On the non-fashion note, my old computer decided that it is time for him to start pushing daisies. I tried to make the most out of its life. It was inexpensive with the body and hinges made of plastic (big mistake on my part to purchase it since I am not the most careful person on the planet, or even in this room). So I got a new computer, with the body and hinges made of steel. My computer and I are not going anywhere, guys. We plan to stick around. :)

Moments of February 2014

Upper Row: 1. Go Sleeveless! 2. And The Winner Is... 3. Magical.

Second Row: 1. Genius. 2. Quirky. 3. Flirty Filosopher.

Third Row: 1. Asian. 2. Exposed. 3. Warm Neutrals

Lower Row: Lighthearted

It was an interesting month here, in the writer's closet. A month of bright colors, stripes of all kinds and some quirky shoes. Outside of the closet, it was also an interesting month - we've got a very beautiful snow day which is extremely unusual for February in this part of the world. And now we are ready for Spring. Chirp! Chirp!

Moments of January 2014

Upper row: 1. Holiday Break. 2. 2014.  3. Shirt Dress in Winter?

Middle row: 1. Color Cravings. 2. Little Birdie. 3. Bold.

Lower row: 1. Spring Spirit. 2. As Bright As The Sun. 3. How I Wear My Coat

Not so many outfits this month - January was a very reflective, inward focused time for me. I might write about it a little later. Let's see what I learned in my style self-discovery during this period. I continue with bright vivid colors, and I am definitely drawn to simple shapes, and in general, simpler, more relaxed look. It might be just for the time being - we'll see where the journey takes me. :) I had a few wonderful purchases this month - colored jeans and sweaters are my absolute favorites. I feel like I can combine them together in endless ways and never get bored. For the first time in my life, I bought a statement necklace - love it, love it! Its vibrant hues go with every sweater I bought - sometimes I am thankful to the mass market which makes it so easy to pair things these days (though, it might always be this way in Western world - what do I know, I grew up in a completely different culture where everything was in deficit and we had to get really creative to look stylish). Don't know what else to add. Feeling pretty content with what I've got these days. Content and inward-oriented. :) Oh, I did have one small disappointment at the very end of the month though. I found a sweater I really liked, which was out of stock. I paid pretty good money for it on ebay (well, compared to all my on-sale items I mean). And the parcel was lost. It never did make it here. We live in a nice cozy neighborhood, and none of our packages were stolen before. So it is more of a surprise really than frustration. Don't know why, but I'm just fine with all of it. Things happen. :)

Moments of December 2013

Upper Row: 1. Winter Teal. 2. My "Uzbek" Dress: Part 1. 3. Not Your Common Peacoat and Colorful Life. 4. My "Uzbek" Dress: Part 2.

Middle Row: 1. Sparkly. 2. Bold Colors and Black Ruana. 3. Camel and Teal. 4. Let It Snow: Part 1.

Lower Row: 1. Let It Snow: Part 2. 2. Purple for Happy Days. 3. Reversible. 4. Sunset Colors at the Grandview Trail.

A quick glance back on my December outfits before I begin the New Year here in the blog. :)

I only picked 12 outfits for this collage. There were some more, but they were either very similar or I just did not like them that much. Seeing myself regularly on pictures helps me to understand better what I like and what I don't. Being the one who had been taking photos of people on a weekly and sometimes even daily basis non-stop for over three years in a row (and it was only a very tiny part of what I had been doing during those years), I realized at some point that I almost have no photographs of myself in these years. I had some, but very little compared to thousands of pictures of others which I took. I practically forgot what I looked like! So now, it is such an indulgence to see myself in photographs and get to know myself almost like someone new. This blog helped me to understand that I like simpler fitted shapes on me, but vibrant colors - they make me feel happy! The last month was all about this realization, I think. 

Moments of November 2013

Upper Row: 1&2. Pattern Play. 3.Put Together. 4. Fiery.
Middle Row: 1. Batik and Bougainvillea. 2. Time for Royal Coziness. 3. Red Wine Experiments. 4. It's Fun To Have a Secret.
Lower Row: 1. Leopard on Leopard. 2. Cold Days... Old Days... 3. Fisherman's Jumper. 4. Pilgrim.

My own little tradition is to post a collage of my outfits at the end of each month. I posted a lot in November! I guess it's a good sign. :) I like what I am doing. I am having a good fun as my daughter used to say when she was little. Not all of my November outfits are included in the collage though. I thought that some of them were not too different from what was just next to them. So I picked 12 the most different ones. I hope you enjoy. Happy holidays! And have a good fun with your friends... or just with yourself! :)

~ Natalia 

Moments of October 2013

Upper Row: 1. Valley Walk. 2. Strong Female. 3&4. Teal, Toffee&Tweed.

Middle Row: 1. Le Rouge et le Noir, Naturally!. 2. Special Day. 3. Russian Platok. 4. Youthful.

Lower Row: 1. Feminine Shine, Clogs&Frogs. 2. Classical.

I am pretty sure I won't have a new outfit post this month, so I've made this collage of all the outfits I posted in October. This is meant to be my own little tradition at the end of a calendar month. You can find all the similar entries by clicking on the tag "monthly moments".

Happy Halloween to those of you who celebrate!

Moments of September 2013

Upper Row: 1. Military Glam. 2. Watercolor in Red. 3. Park Picnics and Printed Pants. 4. First Trip into Fall.

Lower Row: 1. Sunny. 2. Killer Whale in the City. 3.Leopard in the Autumn Garden. 4. City Sophistication.

I started this blog partly to capture and share my personal stylish moments, and partly to learn about myself as I go.