Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Dreary Dress Day

I had a lunch date today, so pulled a go-to dress out of the closet after my morning run. It is supposed to start raining this afternoon, so I dressed to not be on the bike in skirt and heels this time. I'll run and ride all over town in bits of spandex and wicking fabrics through the year, but a just-above-the-knee pencil skirt on a road bike is where I draw the line. (See, mom? Those comments on girlish modesty, back when I was smallish and mucking about outside in dresses, did sink in. Eventually.)

Wonderful lunch at Mirage. A pot of hot persian tea, and a steaming bowl of Khoresh-e-Gheymeh Bademjan: Cubed sirloin beef cooked with sautéed onions, yellow split peas, tomato sauce & sun-dried Persian limes, seasoned with special spices, and sauteed eggplant. Lively conversation about shifting demographics within neighborhoods, and about the book we're both reading (The Logic of Life, Tim Harford).

Saw myself in the entryway mirror when I arrived home. I was an accurate representation of the weather.
Grey, black and drab. Even my accessories, minimal though they were:
  • Small silver hoop earrings.
  • Tortiseshell glasses
  • Stainless steel watch (is 1940 Ladies Oyster, with a sweep second hand. May look bland, but is a marvel of engineering to me)
  • Platinum Ring

All grey, black and silver. No color. No "pop." If I'd remembered a necklace, it probably would have been a silver pendant on a length of black silk.
I think it's time to take a page from Rebecca, and get busy with the accesorizing. Not a lot of it, because I'm a big fan of the functional. A few necklaces from which to choose. Earrings with a touch of color. Maybe a scarf or two?

Like anything I know nothing about, I'll need to do a bit of reading. Imogen Lamport of Inside Out Style, has given some great advice over at Rebecca's site, so her own site is probably where I'll start.

Other than that, I probably need to get my daughter involved. She loves accesorizing. If I start where the princess approves, and cut it by two-thirds, I should be just about right. Besides, it's not often we get to bond over such a girlish activity.

See! Proof that some part of me yearns for color - this is my favorite handbag.


2 comments:

Imogen Lamport, AICI CIP said...

Enjoy working out your accessories - I love them - as I never feel fat in shoes, jewellery or handbags!

If you'd like some specific advice, please let me know.

mappchik said...

Thanks! I might take you up on that.

I'm starting small, and wearing gold, and things with dangly bits of color, instead of just silver tints, for a couple of days.

By the way, I love the polyvore collections you've put together on your blog. Helps me think beyond the basic clothing items of an outfit.