Hello friends!
I’m guessing many of you (the Americans, at least) are enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, perhaps out doing a little pattern shopping with our big sale for Black Friday? We’ve left the kittens with Todd and are headed to Valencia for the weekend. Do you know of anything we absolutely must see during our quick visit? On S’s list is the cathedral and the local market. I’ve been too under the weather to do any planning, but that’s OK. I like to travel with no agenda. Sorry no photo today; this cold really knocked me down for the past few days. But I’ve had plenty of time to read, so get ready for lots of links!
Pinterest Picks
Here are two more cute ideas for the Liesl + Co. Neighborhood Sweatshirt or, for that matter, the Oliver + S Field Trip Raglan Tee. The flounced sleeve on the left is one of those puzzles I’d love to tackle. It looks like it’s just a matter of adding a curved seam to the raglan sleeve so the flounce can carry on from the body and travel across and down the sleeve.
Isn’t this gondola advent calendar a cute idea? Which reminds me that I need to pick up little treats to put in S’s mitten advent calendar. She’s already been talking about it. (If you want to make your own you can use our free mitten ornament pattern!)
What a cute idea to add a tiny velvet bow to the collar of the Building Block Dress! And wouldn’t it be fun to try smocking the Birthday Party Dress to look like this? I don’t think it would be too difficult. In fact, didn’t we have a tutorial for this somewhere on the blog?
I love these neutral palettes. Very pretty.
Weekend Reading
- How amazing is this?
- It really bothers me that celebrities don’t “re-cycle” their clothing more frequently, so I felt grateful to read this article. Queen Letizia here in Spain does a pretty good job of re-wearing her (affordable) wardrobe, which I think is a great example for her fans.
- And speaking of which, here are some good tips for shopping sustainably while on a budget.
- A lovely photo essay about American-grown wool.
- A nice reminder of the beauty of wabi-sabi, which is something we can all embrace more in our lives as a way to embrace sustainability as well as natural beauty.
- What’s your feeling about clogs? I must admit that I can’t really get on board. And now that I think about it, I almost never see them in Spain. Or in New York, for that matter.
- I’ll be turning 50 in February, so I’ve been thinking about style and age lately. This article gave me hope for aging stylishly. (Believe me, I won’t go down without a fight….)
- Speaking of which, isn’t it time we start talking more about menopause before it arrives? I’d certainly like to know what’s in store and was happy to read that I’m not the only one. We teach our kids all about puberty but we ourselves don’t learn what to expect for this stage in life.
- Did you know that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade used to release the giant balloons after the parade? I mean, what could possibly go wrong with a giant inflatable rubber thing floating through the sky?
- I think I want to be reincarnated as a stylist. What an interesting and challenging job!
- I kind of loved and completely agreed with all the tips in this article, whether you want to “dress Parisian” or not. (Although I think dressing in vintage, for most of us, isn’t technically vintage but “investment pieces” that we’ve owned for a long time.)
- This was the most fascinating article I read all week, on so many levels. For example, “the brand is at its best when it treats its garments like LEGO bricks. Sure, you could put a set together according to the instructions, but the kids who see a jet fighter in a pile of gray blocks meant to make a castle tend to be more fun.” (YES!) And “Bonz Malone describes the Lo-Lifes as ‘a group of guys who stole garments because society told them they couldn’t afford the American Dream.'” Ugh, the sad underside of designing luxury fashion. It’s not very inclusive, is it?
- Go, makers! (And, speaking of which, how cute is the new Closet Case “maker” necklace? I love it!)
As always, we’ll be back next week with some fun and inspirational posts for you, including some holiday sewing ideas. In the meantime, have a great weekend!
While I enjoyed your…dressing over 50 article…I LOVE this one! https://betterafter50.com/what-not-to-wear-after-50/ by Michelle Combs!!!! Thanks for sharing yours!
I’ve seen that one! Very funny and probably accurate, too!
I really enjoyed these weekend links. The Peruvian Shepherds are amazing. They give up so much to bring us such amazingly bso much better than having beautiful wool. I have a friend of Peruvian heritage, actually I have just met her, who is working with leather to start a beautiful line of purses here in St Louis. And of course there cotton is the best available.
I have been wearing clogs for at least 30 years. I started wearing them when I lived in Memphis, TN in 1987 or so. Before I became an engiineer working on weapons. When I moved to Huntsville, Ala everyone laughed at me and wondered what I had on my feet. Those “Good old boys” had never seen such strange looking shoes on a female engineer. They had not seen too many female engineers working on Missiles either. When I discovered Hasbeens from Sweden and Svens from Minnesota a few years ago, Clogs toook on a total different style. So much better than squished toes and bunions. Thank you Leisl.
I will say in defense of Huntsville, ALA. 25 years ago the first shop which sold organic cotton clothing was located there. Blue Fish. The first I knew of.
That’s fascinating, Susan! Thanks for the comment. And good for you!
I like how a lot of clogs look – as long as the wearer stands still! But I can’t think of any shoe that makes natural walking (not to mention running) so difficult as “feminist,” and they can be quite perilous, too. (Also, are they a new trend? I feel like the trendiest online sewing people have been wearing them for years and have maybe even moved on from them now…) I’m going to stick to my ‘barefoot’ flat shoes, most definitely not designed for the male gaze.
And YES, I’m in my 30s but would love to have a clear idea of what menopause entails! It seems like some kind of closely guarded secret!
Agreed, it’s really hard (for me, at least) to walk in them. And you’re also right that they’re certainly not a new trend. I tried them about ten years ago and quickly decided they’re not for me, but I do like how they look on some other people. Cheers!