Introducing...a trio of silver pins.

Truly, this post is chock full of accessories you haven't seen before. The actual outfit is one that I've returned to, and blogged, a number of times. Perhaps a dynamic pose will help to make it appear different?

Individually the round silver pins I'm wearing today are slightly on the small side for my taste and my frame. I've worn the spirally one a couple of times on its own already, and thought it was fine, but nothing special. It was underwhelming. Jewelry should never be underwhelming. (How sad. Especially when, as is the case here, it has sentimental significance.)  I think the effect of the group is much more eye-catching and better suited to my stature. I'm probably going to think of them as sort of a set from now on.

You can just see my first attempt at wearing earrings. Tiny grey pearls from the Cook Islands, a gift from my father, years ago now. I've always wanted to wear them. I have rather an affinity for pearls. Not only is the Latin root of my name the same as the word for pearl, I feel that way pearls are created can be interpreted as a metaphor for overcoming adversity in creative and beautiful ways. These don't really have the presence and drama I was imagining when I said I was going to start wearing earrings again but I am trying. Even baby steps are steps in the right direction. And this might be the first time I've made a proclamation about something I was going to do here on the blog and then actually followed through with evidence of it.

The hat is another Wayne Wichern cloche. This one I got last year. I'd sort of forgotten about his hat when I said I wanted to order this hat in khaki:

At the Wayne Wichern trunk show at Fino Fino. Full post here.

That would result in two remarkably similar hats. So now I have to decide what other color I'd like to own this hat in eventually. And it might actually be this dusty rose color which I generally detest on principle but which I have to admit makes my skin look kind of gorgeous. Would a contrasting navy bow/band help to mitigate the inherent insipidness of dusty rose? (Feel free to comment)

When I bought this hat it didn't have a name/price tag yet and Carolyn (Fino Fino's delightful proprietor and my very good friend) called Wayne to inquire as what to call it and what to charge. Wayne told her she could call it the 'Margaret' cloche and that's what is written on my receipt. Probably that is not the official name of this hat but it's how I continue to think of it.

I've always referred to the color of these purple-y brown-ish red shoes as oxblood. I'm not sure that's accurate but I was obsessed with the slightly morbid sounding color name when I was a teenager. So much more evocative than cordovan, don't you agree? I have now decided that henceforth this color shall be known as Red Velvet Cupcake, because I had one for lunch today and I swear it coordinated perfectly with my shoes!