Classic skeletal wear
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Fabric shoes are often less expensive than leather. You may not have realized you wanted some of these until now :-) Men can't easily leave their dress shirts untucked during the work week & get away with it. But can women? Everywhere I turn I'm seeing women with their shirts untucked underneath a sweater. Though it looks a little sloppy, I actually like the look because it connects an outfit--picks back up at the waist the color started at the collar. It's also, of course, comfortable & less constricting to leave your shirt untucked. Here are some examples of this look from Banana Republic...
It's a little strange to let your shirt hang down under a sweater. Could I make this look work for me? I gave it a try over the weekend. Here are the results: It seems like a crewneck rather than a v-neck works better with this look, though I'm not sure why. It's also easier when your shirt tail isn't very long & the bottom edge on your sweater isn't very tight. Here it just looks like I threw a crewneck over a shirt, no big deal. It's easy for this look to work since my shirt tail isn't very long or curved.  A little tougher is putting a cardigan over an untucked shirt. I like it, though--I think it works.  Wear to work or just for play? Super soft, thin shirt, super soft old cashmere hoodie--feels great!  Is this cheating? I tried a long untucked button-down with a long cardigan. Easy wear for the office? 
I truly went into this experiment thinking there was no way I could leave my shirt untucked at work, but I'm glad I tried it because now I think I have a couple new outfits that are perfectly office-appropriate. Would you wear your shirt untucked for work? You may also like... I have recently completed my third shoe surgery, & for the most part, I would say the operations have been successful. Surgery #1: Removing the ruffle The ruffle was pretty, but it just wasn't me. My son called them clown shoes before the surgery. I used sharp scissors.
Surgery #2: Reducing the heel These pumps were too high for me, so I had my husband saw off about a half inch, & then I had them re-soled. Warning: you may not want to try this one at home--or at least wear protective eyewear--there were literally sparks flying as my husband sawed down the heel!
Surgery #3: Removing additional strap These sandals are an easy height, style, & price. But I felt like the white strap cut off my leg & complicated the sandal, so I removed the strap with small sharp scissors.
Surgical procedures are a bit addictive. Why settle for anything that's not quite like you want it? So far, I have not compromised the integrity of the shoes--they're all wearable in their post-op state. Each surgery is a risk, & we have no insurance. Gathers or pleats take an average tee to work & out to dinner. From Eddie Bauer
From Garnet Hill  Garnet Hill Celine Knit Top, $9 minus 30% + free ship but only available in XL From Boden
From Ann Taylor  Ann Taylor Pleated Long Sleeve Top, $59 minus 40%
Subtle pleats from French Connection
From Wrap London  Wrap London Jeane Blouse, $49 From Aventura Clothing
 Aventura Clothing Sayna Shirt, $27.99
Zara asked for photos of the top in its current condition; here they are.... The top after one wash...    Here's Zara's response to my request...  I'm floored & disappointed. I feel my request was justified, don't you?
So the question is: would you continue to shop from Zara, or would you leave them forever? The other day driving along in the car, my husband pointed out that all of us were wearing polyester: my sons live in Champion athletic wear that's 100% polyester, my husband was wearing a Nike fleece pullover (the one you gave him, Karen--he wears it daily!), & I was wearing the burgundy sweatshirt below. All of their poly seemed cooler than mine--more high tech, more active--but we were all wearing polyester nevertheless. If you search the word "polyester" in Anthropologie's online site, 1,149 results come up. Search it at Sundance Catalog, & 287 results appear. Search Zara, & you'll find 2,872 poly items. Even at GAP, 1,585 items come up. Once shunned for its often-shiny, artificial texture, polyester has again come into its own over the past decade. I roamed through polyester tops & dresses in the store at Anthropologie last weekend & was surprised to see how easy it is to confuse silk with polyester. It seems like polyester should cost a fraction of the cost of polyester, but they are priced similarly. Variations on the theme Polyester is sometimes called crepe or chiffon. There's also "polyester cotton," "polyester silk," & "polyester velvet," all of which are not material mixes but different weaves of polyester that feel like cotton, silk, & velvet. And then there are all the athletic varieties--from high-tech, dry-fit fabrics down to good ole polar fleece. The benefits of polyester are that it's strong & often super thin, & it doesn't wrinkle, making it the ideal fabric for layering, packing, & traveling. You can throw it in the wash, & it dries fast. Sometimes polyester is styled into sheer styles, which are pretty, cool, & feminine. It's become the norm for much athletic wear, jackets, vests. Polyester is vegan. The drawbacks of polyester are that it's almost impossible to remove stains from it, & if it snags, you can't repair it. Polyester is humanmade from a chemical process; you are putting chemicals against your skin, & polyester may pollute the environment. Producing most fabrics requires a huge expense in production, water, & waste. I think poly's ok as long as you pair it with items made of other materials like cotton. Do you own much polyester? Here are some of items I wear regularly that are 100% poly...  My 100% poly dress is from Francesca's. They have tons more like it at their online store www.francescas.com, all reasonably priced.  This 100% poly dress is from Long Tall Sally.
 This sheer 100% polyester shirt is from Abercrombie & Fitch. Here are just a few polyester picks from a couple stores...  Anthropologie Droplets Dress, $158
 Anthropologie Chelan Dress, $178
 Victoria's Secret Two-pocket Boyfriend Shirt, $19.99  Zara Seamed A-line Dress, $39.90 Have you noticed the popularity of polyester? Do you wear it or do you shun it?
It's not crazy to wear a flower in your hair. It may mean you're in love, & your lover may be the one to feed the flower delicately over your ear. You may be dancing around a bonfire in Hawaii. You may just be having a long day.  Nancy Stohlman, lead singer of Kinky Mink, & Katharyn Grant wear flowers in their hair. Photo by Kona Morris. Put some flowers in your hair & come out for Kinky Mink's Halloween show November 1st! More here: Kinky Mink on Facebook. It's a symbol of frivolity. Of carefree abandon.
I say to all of us out there (especially those who would think the girl in the rain must be mad) that we need to find a flower immediately to wear in our hair. Even better, find a flower you can put in someone else's hair.  Our mission: any time this weekend, wear a flower in your hair. My sister brought over a dozen white roses last weekend. I'll be wearing one in my hair & offering some to friends.
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