Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Jeans Week: Blue Tips and Jungle Toes

My company is doing Jeans Week this week for fundraising and elevating awareness of mental health issues. I usually don't participate, since wearing jeans is a step down for me, sartorially; alternately, I do a "Sparkle Week" version, like I did last December. 

This time, I decided to play along (since it's a short week). Although I do not own a pair of traditional denim jeans, I do own a few pairs of non-traditional jeans-like pants. 
 First up, these "boyfriend" cut baby blue heavy cotton pants.


  • Sweater - Lord & Taylor, consignment; last seen here in September 2016 with dots and these same shoes
  • Pants - Talbots, thrifted; purchased here for $6.25
  • Shoes - Joe Fresh, thrifted; last worn here in September 2016, the same time as this sweater
  • Jacket (below) - Allison Wonderland, consignment; last seen here in April 2016 with plaid pants

 These pants are very stretchy. I am not used to wearing pants - period - and the amount of Lyrca in these is...a lot. Over the course of the day, the waistline bagged out (probably didn't help that I hooked my key/access card on a belt loop), and I kept having to hike them up.

The sweater is a very thin, fine cashmere - I'm wearing a vintage camisole under it for coverage (and to hide my blue bra). You can see a bit of my back tattoos through it.
 I love the t-shirt cut of the sweater - it makes it very luxuriously slouchy.

Outerwear. Today was hugely windy, and I had to stash my hat after work.
 I haven't worn this jacket in over a year...but it's a handmade (local) chartreuse green velvet. When am I going to find another one like it? This is why I end up with things...but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The jacket has clean lines, it fits well, it's got pockets. It just doesn't get worn a lot. And I'm okay with that.

The stuff:
 I love the jungle print on these flats - there is a bit of blue in it, a bit of green, a bit of orange and red...they go with a lot.

Blue bling:
 All the blue! The "stones" in the vintage pieces are all thermoset, which is a synthetic that hardens as it cures. These shapes would all be formed hot (the "therm" part) in moulds, most likely, then glued into the settings. A very trendy thing in the late 50s/early 60s.


  • Necklace - vintage fair
  • Bracelet - Coro, vintage fair
  • Earrings - thrifted
  • Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes


I did my toes and my nails last night.
This is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in "Set Sail" - I quite like this lovely blue.

23 comments:

  1. I'm not a jeans (or trousers) wearer either, though I do own a couple of blue jeans to go out hiking in bad weather in. Yours are a nice colour, though, but isn't it a bore when those stretchy trousers start bagging ...Oh, and your last photo was a reminder that I need to do my toe nails, as I've got a row of open toed shoes and sandals waiting. xxx

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    1. It feels weird - my jean-like pants are all quite casual, so it's a challenge for me to dress them up for work.

      Get those toes done! :)

      Delete
  2. Your nails look thermoset! That's such a pretty, unexpected shade.

    I'm with you on avoiding jeans at work. I prefer skirts and dresses, but most of my trousers are Talbots--something about the fit. I thrift them when I can and have also picked up wool ones new on ebay. Too much lycra is a downer.

    Seeing your take on casual is helpful. I don't suppose you have swimwear thoughts to share?

    I just sorted through my drawer of swimsuits and exercise clothes, and I'm pretty demoralized. Got rid of a pile of stuff. I don't wear a bathing suit often, but for a couple of weeks each summer, I need options. Sigh.

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    1. Thanks! I really like it, although, as I noted above, it's a very chippy colour.

      I definitely prefer skirts and dresses for work, and most of my off-work as well.

      I only own one bathing suit (which I use maybe once every two years). I just tried on a ton until I found one I didn't hate. I'm not showing a picture of myself in it! :)

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    2. I would NEVER expect a photo of you in your suit. Criminy. I can hardly stand to look in the mirror in mine. Yes, "not hate" is what I'm aiming for. I liked swimsuits a lot better when I wore one all summer long and literally never thought about it. (I was a lake kid . . .)

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    3. Phew! Good, ha ha! I don't hate myself in it, but I need a few glasses of wine first!

      Mine is a bandeau with a good built-in bra, lots of ruching in the front, allover black and white print. I think I've posted a pic of it, a long time ago...yup: http://sheilaephemera.blogspot.ca/2009/06/edelwiess-cruise-shoes-and-my-bathing.html. Shopping tip: bathing suit sizing is like pre-Great Size Shift clothing - go up 2 sizes. I wear a 10 in this bathing suit (and it should fit fairly snug, as they stretch out in water).

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    4. Okay, that's a cute suit! :-)

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  3. I think the jeans and top are really set off by that beautiful jacket...loved the shoes and the bling!

    xx

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  4. Love this outfit, but it does not quite feel like you. I guess I am unused to you in jeans, but they look damned good on you. Can I say that on wordpress ? The cashmere tee is perfection, I would want to wear it to bed, and then the next day.
    Love the blue nails, I have uneven results with that brand, they grey went on easily and looked great, but the blue was clumpy, maybe my clumsy fingers.
    Love the floral flats and blue necklace, very pulled together and chic!
    I only one one swim suit too, and it is 20 years old !
    Happy mid week Sheila!
    xx, Elle
    http://www.theellediaries.com/

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    1. It is a VERY casual outfit for me, so I can see how you would feel it isn't quite "me." Ha, yes, you can say "damned!" I love the cashmere tee - it was a good find.

      I'm not happy with this colour, overall - I like the colour, but only 2 days in and it's chipping like mad (I am hard on my nails, but I expect my polish to last longer than a day or two!).

      Delete
  5. I have one pair of "conventional" dark wash jeans I found at a thrift store, but I do like denim as a fabric. I got rid of all my thin cotton pants with lycra because as you've noted, they end up baggy in the waist/butt by the end of the day.

    I've been wearing mostly blue nail polish lately - that is such a pretty shade.

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    1. I like it too - dresses, skirts, shirts...just not pants! I don't think these trousers are going to last too long.

      This shade is an overall disappointment - it crackled and chipped.

      Delete
  6. This might be a bit of a long comment so I apologise and I will try to be brief!!! It's more what your outfit has made me think of than the actual outfit.

    I got some feedback recently that I wore an awful lot of blue jeans for someone trying not to wear it, and it made me wonder if I could possibly go jeans free. I know there are plenty of people (like yourself) who don't wear jeans much or at all, and so it's got me thinking. In the end I've decided to kind of try it. I'm doing to just 2 pairs of blue jeans so I'm selling one of them and seeing how long I can go without wearing the other ones. I'm still keeping them around, they are my favourite jeans after all, but it will be interesting for me to wear more of my wardrobe and rely on my blue jeans less!

    Sorry for the huge comment!!!

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    1. I love this comment, Mica, and I love that it's made you think about your habits. Don't apologize!

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  7. I like your top, that 'luxuriously slouchy' shape looks cool, and I'm loving your chartreuse jacket, that's really luxurious (once more), the color and texture are amazing!. Lovely accessorizing and cute shoes indeed!
    besos

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    1. It's a wonderful piece, thank you! I love the shoes.

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  8. That velvet jacket is a dream, truly lovely. I think you just have to hold onto these unique items as they'll never come around again. The colour is fab as is the fit - wonderful!

    Anna x

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    1. Thanks, Anna! It's a keeper - such a great colour.

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  9. Love that shade of blue on your nails. I've always thought light blue and green look damn fab together.
    Here you're proving it.

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    1. I love light blue with green - such a nice combination. Thanks, Lorena!

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