One misty, moisty morning, when cloudy was the weather . . . I stepped outside while the coffee was brewing and took a shot of the wet garden. It feels like fall out there now, with the thin note of the crickets and no cicadas for the moment. I might actually want a cardigan when I go out to walk the dog.
Dark morning kitchen:
Drinking coffee now, trying to wake up enough to play Wordle (I lost yesterday), hoping the dog thinks it's still nighttime and sleeps a while longer.
Hard to believe that in a few more days we'll be in Texas, which almost assuredly will not feel cool and soft and autumnal. Fortunately my packing and preparations are simple: three wool dresses in a backpack.
I'm still mulling the possibility, which came to me last night, of re-dyeing my two dark-brown cardigans (this one, and I can't even find a photo of the other one, which tells me how much I've been wearing it). I like them both very much as cardigans, and they're both in very good shape still, despite my having bought them secondhand to begin with and owned them for many years now. I just wear them a lot less, because dark brown doesn't do that much for me. I've been wanting a burgundy cardigan, something I absolutely don't have at the moment: what if I could turn one of them burgundy? I'd have to color-strip it first, but that could work. I think I'd wear the heck out of a wine-red cardigan in the fall and winter. The other one I might dye a soft taupe, which would be a more useful neutral for me than chocolate brown. Or I could dye it navy, also quite useful, and a blue I don't have in a cardigan. Both are fairly sturdy ramie-cotton blends and should stand up to the color-stripping and dyeing process handily. I'd feel bolder about using really hot water, for one thing, than I did with my wool dress.
I won't do anything about this until I get back from my roadtrip, but the possibility is definitely in my mind as a way of reinventing what I have instead of buying new clothes. Both of those cardigans are beautiful and well made. One is Talbots, the other is Loft. I bought them in the thrift store I forget how many years ago, so in one sense, if the dye job goes wrong, I haven't really lost anything. But I don't see why it should go wrong. Having risked my Camellia, I'm feeling pretty daring! And if I could transform these exact cardigans into items that I do reach for more, because the colors are more right for me and go more readily with more of the clothes I own and propose to buy, then that would be a big win.
Oh, I do have photos of both cardigans, at the end of this post from last fall, which makes me glad all over again that I took the dye plunge with my Camellia dress. I love the new color so much more than the old one. Meanwhile, you can see what pretty cardigans these are. And they're both so sturdy and good for NC fall and winter weather. I just . . . don't . . . wear . . . that shade of brown . . . with a great deal of pleasure. On the other hand, taupe is really sending me, as an idea, especially for the Loft cardigan with the tie waist. I'd have to replace the dark-brown buttons, but that's easy enough --- maybe even some mother-of-pearl ones? Or ones that look like bone? Then the Talbots swing cardigan could be burgundy . . . Or vice versa? Tie-waist cardigan in burgundy, swing cardigan in taupe? Hmmm, hmmm, hmmmmmmmmm.
I'd actually like to approximate the winey red of this coat for a cardigan. It's such a great shade: good with my other colors, good for Christmas, good for Holy Week and Pentecost and other times when I especially like to wear red, but not fire-engine red. This does seem pretty close.
Things to think about when I drive; easy projects to accomplish when I get back, if I still want to do them.
Meanwhile, wearing today:
Giving my redyed Camellia a break after three days of straight wear; reached for my beloved Sierra dress instead. She's perfect for today: a little heavier, sturdy enough to stand up to rainfall on a walk, but still breathable and cool should the sun come out. Waterproof EVA Birkenstocks, plus this thrifted J. Jill ramie-blend pullover, which is light and airy and such a beautiful color. I've had this sweater for years, during many of which I never wore it, because it was buried in a pile, and I never knew quite what it looked good with. Now I've trimmed down my cardigan/sweater collection significantly, and I enjoy throwing this one on when I want a light extra layer.
It's a little boxy --- I could wish it were just a bit more cropped, to land higher on my torso. But really, it's fine as it is, especially with the shape and structure that the Sierra provides underneath.
And I do love the color. However I want to classify myself, in terms of how I look in colors (see link list of palettes in my sidebar!), this color really works for me.
I guess I had better walk the dog soon, then get on with my day. Two more essays to write before I leave town. Meanwhile, my friend Jane Greer is up at the Sun with an end-of-summer poem, so if you can access the Poem of the Day, today is a great day to do that.
LATER: It occurs to me that taupe would be a lot closer to my hair color than dark brown --- I have been justifying wearing brown by thinking that my hair is brown, which it is. But it's a lot closer to this taupe, with its hint of gray, than it is to chocolate brown, with an orange undertone that doesn't do my skin tone any serious favors. I could see that lighter beige as a much kinder color for me.
Also, in addition to being thankful to have finished one more Sun essay, with only one left to go before I leave town, I am grateful for a rotation of three wool dresses, which seems like an abundance. It's amazing what a difference it makes to have my Camellia back in action again, in her new, fresh color. I really need to step up my Maggie-wearing and not be so afraid of ruining her before the conference. While at this stage I don't think I'd challenge myself to a whole year in nothing but wool --- because I do have a few other things I still like to wear! --- I can see trending in that direction in the future. I love and am grateful for my three little bamboo swing dresses, but wearing wool this week just reminds me how good it is, and how particularly nice my Wool& dresses are. When I'm ready to buy again, that's where my money will largely go. I can happily wear dresses day after day after day, as I've proven to myself over the last year. It's an easy default, and one that can tweak to meet any situation.
Just . . . being glad about that again.
Meanwhile, from Elyse: Making a NOT MY STYLE list