I Plead Guilty

I did it.  I wore my levis.

There is the proof.  I had full intentions of wearing dresses the whole time while in San Fransisco, but upon my inspection of the itinerary, I realized that our jaunt out to Alcatraz doing a night tour, might take some real creativity for me to stay warm and stay in a dress.  After Lottie's unplanned surgery only days before our departure and spending one of those days in a hospital room, my foggy brain couldn't or wasn't willing, to try and figure it out, so I caved and threw in a pair of levis just in case I couldn't come up with a warm enough outfit amongst the dresses and leggings I loaded into my suitcase.

Needless to say, our trip was incredible.  We saw some really awesome things:  Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, and the Winchester Mystery House.  All were fabulous.  I got to see the hard work and dedication of teenagers pay off, as they performed well at the Foothills College Heritage Music Festival, but I think what impressed me most were the kids - good kids, fun kids, a diverse group of kids - who all came together to perform, to represent our little high school, and to form friendships that might not have existed at home.  So fun was had by all!

My only disappointment was those damned jeans.

I must confess, I did enjoy the ease and comfort of wearing them while shivering on a beautiful beach for hours (aren't Cali beaches supposed to be warm?).  I was grateful for them during our night tour of Alcatraz (those cement walls hold no heat, I tell you).  I also ended up wearing them our last night at an amusement park where we partied until midnight.  I was happy that I had packed them, but disappointed that I had ruined my streak of dress wearing.

Another confession:  Although grateful to be wearing jeans, I missed my dresses.  In jeans, I felt like one of the masses - not that I am looking to stand out, necessarily.  It just felt, kind of, well, blah.  This was not the emotion I had planned on having once I allowed myself to pull on my pants again.  I had figured I would be elated, relieved, or like a child getting on his/her favorite carnival ride, thrilled, but my surprise reaction was disappointment.  

Although I didn't make it a whole year solely wearing dresses, I think wearing my levis for a day or two was more helpful in my quest than not.  I realized that I like wearing my dresses (for now) more than I thought and that it's fun to not be one of the masses - at least not all the time.  So, the dress wearing continues, maybe not all the time, wholly, but as much as possible.  I feel like I am still learning some things about myself through this process and that wearing pants again isn't the grand prize at the end.  I feel like more of an individual and creative by continuing, so I will carry on while allowing myself a little leeway here and there without feeling guilty.

I also finally got the chance to wear my red and white polyester dress I made over a month ago.  That made me happy!  Doesn't it go well with my dream car? 

Back for More

Yes, I have ignored blogging for awhile and yes, I am still wearing dresses.  I think some thought this craziness was going to end after a month.  My vision was for a much longer period of time, but we'll see.  I have felt trapped by my dresses and that has resulted in me not wanting to blog and pass along my poor attitude.

I had a good talk with my kids the other night.  I was complaining and entertaining the thought of putting this whole thing behind me.  Odd, most of them chastised me for wanting to give up. The dynamic of preteens advising me to stick to it, was enough shame for me to try to adjust my attitude.  

Em did give me some good advice.  You see, I tend to be more left-brained than right and that results in using formulas instead of creativity.  The way I have approached this dress idea has been, dress or skirt + granny blouse + cardigan = outfit for the day.  At the start, this worked well, but now I am bored.  She talked with me about changing up my formula or even throwing it out all together - not that I would abandon my love of vintage, granny blouses, and the like - but to look at things with new eyes and be willing to mix old and new, patterns, and looks.  It did help.  This is what I pulled out of the closet today -

Not sure that the patterns work too well together.  I think it would be better if my gingham print was slightly smaller or if my sweater covered all but the collar.  I tried buttoning up my cardigan, but it looked lumpy and bulky.  Overall, I liked the mix of colors and fabrics.  Bonus - it gave me an excuse to wear my new, bright pink lipstick. 

Over the last few days, I stumbled across a blog that did inspire me.  It's refashionista.net.  This lady takes thrift store finds, adjusts and alters them to make them more fashionable.  I think she tries to do one a day.  I think I wasted over an hour looking at her blog.  Although she is half my size and age, I was inspired to try out some new things and look at some of my existing finds in a new light.  The truth be told, I play well off the genius of others.

I have taken some "before" pictures that I will post along with the "afters" once I have worked my magic.  Actually, it might take some magic......

I did get one dress done.  I posted pics of this on a Thifted Thursday post, but here's a reminder -

I unpicked the collar and removed it - it was a little much. Trust me, with my double chin, I don't need any more bulk in that area!  Then, I simply topstitched it back together.  I did save those beautiful buttons.  I'll use those on another project.  I also took off about 6" off the length.  I like it much better with the changes - they weren't too difficult, but getting a good picture can be!

I really liked it paired with my thrifted red shoes.

I also sported this outfit over my hiatus.  It's about the only picture I ended up taking during that time.  I found my sweater at Forever 21 and the dress was thrifted. I did like the two together, but I love the two people together. :)  We even match....ah....

Last, but not least, I have been wanting a vintage patent leather purse, like I used to play dress up with. I have seen ones in the antique stores for around $15.  That's a little more than I am willing to pay.  My patience paid off.  I found this number at the local thrift store for a mere $1.  Another formula: me - $1 = happy girl!!

So, I will try and move forward with more creativity and a better attitude.  With the sun shining, snow melting, and a fly buzzing, a new season looks possible and I know that will help - out with the wool, in with the cotton!