Kitchen stools in morning light. Both made by my brother, many years ago.
We had more rain yesterday evening and into the night, with some mild thunderstorms moving through. Today looks like another nice day, with a high of only 87F. Humidity is high, but when is it not?
My Ibex tee sold on Poshmark, so my one actual plan of the day, other than going to Mass, is to print out the mailing label and prep it to mail tomorrow. Hooray! It's actually the first thing I've sold without a price drop, which is nice. Makes me want to sell more things --- you kind of get the bug. And I really do want to winnow my tops collection down. I've photographed my Doc Martens but haven't listed them yet, so maybe that will be another thing to do today. Meanwhile, many of my closet items haven't attracted notice, but I guess if I leave them there long enough, they will. Though I don't think my prices are inflated --- I've bought enough on Poshmark to know how things run --- I probably need to go through and drop some prices and/or offer shipping discounts.
OR I'll get fed up, take them down, and make a big Goodwill run. I need to sort my outbox, anyway, as I know there are some things buried that aren't really resaleable on Poshmark, but would likely get onto a rack at a thrift store. That'll be an autumn-cleaning gambit at some point.
Woke up in the middle of the night because our room was hot, then had trouble going back to sleep, even after I'd turned the thermostat down some. I was relieved to read recently that there's much restorative value, actually, in just lying there with your eyes closed, rather than getting up when you can't sleep. My husband does the whole "second sleep" thing --- gets up between 2 and 4 a.m. and sits on the porch with some tea and his prayers. It's a time he enjoys, not least because, as he says, between the wildlife and the people abroad in the small hours, our neighborhood is like a whole other neighborhood at 4 a.m. Then he goes back to bed. I can appreciate this practice, and in some ways I even kind of envy it. I know I miss all sorts of little early-morning dramas out there in the street. Still, my preference is not to get out of bed, but to pretend to sleep until possibly, finally, I do again.
And calloo callay: my Spruce Jacquard dye comes tomorrow, so I can transfigure more things! I don't know why that's so satisfying, but it really is. It's a way of getting exactly what I want without spending much money, or acquiring whole new things. My closet doesn't get fuller, just better. I find I want to wear these more vibrant, less neutral colors --- and I can, without buying all new clothes. Things that were meh instantly become fresh staples, to fill my current yearning for rich colors in my favorite palette. See, for example, yesterday's adventures in Jacquard Sapphire.
So that's fun to look forward to. But in the meantime, it's Sunday, we're going to Mass, and here's what I'm wearing for that:
I've saved myself the inestimable hassle of choosing a cardigan, by wearing instead a dress with sleeves for my outfit base. Here's Willow, for a third and final July wear, with this thrifted vintage 90s April Cornell maxi skirt. This is one of my few non-natural-fiber pieces that will stay in the closet --- it's rayon, in kind of a crepe georgette texture, but I love the skirt regardless. The colors are beautiful and perfect for my closet palette, and the pattern scratches that recurring itch for "1930s Garden Party." Wearing with my Xero Jessie sandals. Even with 3/4-length sleeves, this outfit reads fresh and summery to me.
And I really do love a long, sweepy skirt.
As I thin out my closet toward summer's end, my skirts are the items that I know will stay. Do I wear them every day? Nope, I don't. I might not wear a skirt for a few weeks at a stretch. But they are pieces that I consistently reach for to change up my dress-every-day template --- while still wearing the same dresses. I want fewer tops, I know. There are a handful that I will keep, but mostly tops/shirts seem to be just clutter in my closet, not really adding anything. I have too many that I wear out of a sense that I must wear them, but I never like the outfits they create. What I do find satisfying, on the other hand, is getting extra mileage out of a dress by wearing it as if it were a top, with a skirt. So it's quite possible that I could look for more skirts to add to my closet, even as I pare down my collection of tops.
And now I'd better let the dog out and get on with the morning . . .
POST-MASS AFTERNOON UPDATE:
Sitting outside with Dora, who wanted to sunbathe. I've eaten lunch and packed up my Poshmark sale, and now feel lethargic.
But while I'm sitting here doing nothing, here's the rundown of dress wearings for July:
Sierra: the dress I said I wouldn't reach for wins with 6 wears
Audrey: 5
Brooklyn + both Maggies: 4 each
Camellia + Fiona + Willow: 3 each
Pact purple cotton dress: 1 (yes, again I am rethinking my ownership of this dress)
These patterns of wear always interest me, though I'm not sure what they reveal, except that what I expect I'm going to do is not what I do, and vice versa. In any event, I've worn my wool dresses handily, including dresses I would not have thought were ideal for the weather we've been having. I think I've liked Sierra more than I had expected because of the way she looks belted --- I find I love that silhouette, and I predict I'll keep reaching for her in her redyed state as well, for that reason. Actually, what I hope is that the new non-neutral color --- though it will be as versatile as a neutral --- will feel even more like summertime than the gray does. As useful as gray has been, and as much as I have worn that dress in that color, it always feels a little bit like a sweatshirt in the summer, and that's not just a function of the weight of the fabric. It looks like a gray sweatshirt. Again, not bad, but I think it'll be more fun as a green dress.
This will leave me just Audrey as a plain neutral, but that's okay. The black-heather fabric is really pretty striking. I think it comes across a little more excitingly than the charcoal-heather gray does. And gosh, I'll say again what a versatile dress that is. I would really consider another Audrey the next time I'm in the market for a dress, because the maxi length is so nice, and the style lends itself so well to year-round wear.
Anyway . . . in a while I guess I'll go in and sort my closet a little more and maybe post some more items for sale. It's a little fiddling and time-consuming, but easy enough to do once I set myself to do it. And what have I got to lose? Not much . . .
LATER:
Done! I've listed both the silk/cashmere/merino tank --- which I want so much to love but just have not worn --- and my Doc Martens, ditto. I've come to terms with being a Birk person, not a Docs person. If you're reading this and those items interest you . . . head on over! The link is in my sidebar.
Or don't. That's also fine. I'm not here to sell things. That is, I am here, and I am selling things, but correlation is not causation.
Meanwhile, it's raining. Dora is asleep on the couch. I'm in kind of a waking coma after my interrupted sleep last night, but I'm also alone in the house, except for Dora, and it's all just so pleasant. Sometimes I wonder why I bothered not being a hermit, since that's so clearly my favorite mode.
PS: I've been thinking all day that today was the 31st, and it's not. So some lucky dress gets one more July wear. Which one will it be?
Also, I'm really glad I remembered to wear an apron to make dinner tonight:
Took off my church skirt once I got home, so have spent the day just kicking around in Willow by herself, chill and breezy. The rain has cooled things off a lot, and my husband and I hope to get in a substantial dog walk in just a little while.