Monday, June 25, 2012

Visible Monday: How I want you to see me.

If, after a year and a half of blogging outfits, I have a style formula, this is it:


An easy but sophisticated dress, striking shoes, and vintage costume jewelry. This looks and feels like me. Because I'm in the process of planning and packing a wardrobe that will get me through four to six months of traveling for work I've been giving the idea of creating a 'formula' more thought than I usually would. Outfit blogging (at least the way I've been doing it) seems to be about experimentation, about stretching your style wings and seeing if a particular look soars or flops. I've tried a lot of different things here on the blog, with varying degrees of success, but this type of look epitomizes how I want to be seen. Comfortable, stylish, not too fussy, but with some personal touches that reflect my (hopefully sparkling) personality. Add a few hats and a couple of cardigans to this formula and that's me in a nutshell. Or rather, in a small suitcase.


The feather print dress is new, from the Canadian company Smoking Lily, a souvenir of the Victoria BC stop of our recent Alaskan cruise. The multiple strand bead necklace is one which used to belong to my 'step' grandmother, part of a collection of her things I received recently which I jokingly call 'my inheritance'. The shoes are strappy platform sandals in a color enticingly called raisin, which it turns out is indistinguishable from plain old brown.

I'm wearing the dress sleeveless, with my tattoo showing, today but when I'm working I'm planning to layer a 3/4 length sleeve boat-neck shirt underneath. Also, these awesome but impractical shoes are not coming with me. This time.

I'm linking up to Visible Monday over at Not Dead Yet Style. Click on over and say 'Hi' to Patti and all the other stylish folks who hang out over there.

10 comments:

  1. This dress has an excellent fit on you! Is it in a fabric that won't wrinkle?

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    1. You bet. It's a cotton and bamboo rayon knit with a touch of Lycra. You can roll it up in a ball and unfurl it later with nary a crease.

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  2. I'm from Victoria! I knew that was a Smoking Lily dress when I spotted you at Visible Monday! I love their clothing and have tons of it.

    You are totally rocking this outfit! Their clothing washes really well, too - you can machine wash/tumble dry on delicate/cold water/low heat.

    Thank you so much for having a link to my blog - I really appreciate you visiting, Margaret!

    Cheers,
    Sheila

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  3. Ah! When you said Smoking Lily, I immediately thought of Sheila - and here she is! That's a terrific dress, Margaret, and the shoes are awesome as well. Thanks so much for sharing your look with Visible Monday.

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  4. You look wow in this dress. I'm curious how you'll manage all your shoes! I shall pack vicariously through you, imagining that I am travelling as well. What an adventure awaits you!

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  5. take a look on the Vivienne files http://theviviennefiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/variations-on-dress-brown.html, She has an entry on one dress with many different looks depending on the accessories. I love this dress so classy and you have the bod for it. Wow a job that has you traveling for months at a time. I thought it was going to be for a week. Good luck packing.

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  6. Wowza! I do see you, and you look fab!

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  7. POW! literally my first thought when I saw the first pic on this post. All impact... fab!

    I'm tempted to go to Canada JUST to get Smoking Lily... every one of their things I see on blogs is amazing.

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  8. You look fantastic! It's been a while since I've noticed you blogging, and you're looking wonderful. That dress is soooo flattering. I always enjoy your blog posts!

    Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life

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