Cool mugs made by the Artgirl last fall. After her spring semester in Rome, I think she's kind of itching to get back to the Art Village and down to her work. Her major concentration is printmaking, but I think she's taking more ceramics this coming semester, good news for those of us who like to fill up our houses with funky pretty stuff.
It's a soft, overcast morning, which bodes well for dog-walking.
Wearing today:
Extremely Team Basic Audrey, who pulls into the lead for July with 5 wears as of today. She was such a great dress through the late fall and winter, and now she's a winner as a summer dress: easy to throw on and wear with no embellishments.
It's hard to see, which is intentional, but I am wearing my charcoal-gray Kosher Casuals crop top under. It adds virtually no weight or heat, but does provide extra coverage, which I appreciate. The result is something a little more like a long Camellia, which is my ideal. I can imagine really, really, really wearing Audrey through the cold weather this year, even more than I did last winter, because I can wear a jacket or cardigan with her but don't have to cover up the neckline with a scarf. As much as I like scarves, sometimes I felt that that added more to an outfit than I wanted. I look forward to wearing her with a simple cardigan or blazer for a clean, uncluttered look --- and still an amount of coverage that I'm comfortable with.
I've now signed up to sing with the Diocesan Choir for the closing Mass at our Eucharistic Congress in early September. I'll plan to wear Audrey for the day, with some lightweight cardigan over --- but bring my black bamboo swing dress in my bag to pop on for choir dress, putting the cardigan in my purse. Even with the heathered look of this dress, I think that will read "black" enough for that purpose. And I'll feel good all day, in and out of the end-of-summer heat.
Day 3 hair, lightly refreshed with wet hands. I'll wash it later today to be clean and fresh for tomorrow --- or I'll wash it in the morning, because it's actually short enough to dry before Mass. That's a novelty for sure.
And now to walk the dog. I should really put on a hat.
All my other taller boots have been pretty wide in the calf, which has been another of my less-favorite things about them (aside from their not being that comfortable to stand and walk in). These have a fairly slim fit and can be adjusted via a buckle for an even closer fit. I like the mid-calf height, which will allow the top of my boots to show even when I wear a midi-length skirt or dress, while hiding any socks I might be wearing (key if I'm wearing leggings instead of tights). I also like that the height allows for the curve of my calf to my knee to show --- even though the boots themselves hit at the widest place on my lower leg, they show that my leg curves in, which is flattering. This graphite color is kind of akin to Audrey's color, in being a soft, smudgy black-gray, rather than a stark one. I think it'll be great to wear with all my tights and leggings, maybe making nicer combinations with some of them than my tan boots have done.
I still love and will wear my Taris plenty this winter, but wow, I'm happy with these. My feet love Birkenstocks. And these are just so lovely. The leather is incredibly soft, no need to break them in. The soles are what my feet are used to. It was like a minor dream come true, to acquire Birkenstock hiking boots, and now I have these Birkenstock nice boots, too.
