Farewell today to these dear companions in the dark of winter. February is here at last, tomorrow is Candlemas, and the long starlit season of the Incarnation draws to a close.
Now we have a bizarre number of weeks until the start of Lent, though really I know they'll fly by. The traditional calendar is still counting "Sundays after Epiphany" for a little while longer, before verging into the pre-Lent period. As a calendrical double-dipper, I like a bit of both --- though I see no real need to hurry Lent. Easter isn't until April 20, which is practically summertime here. I like that in the Extraordinary Form calendar we never lose sight of what's coming, but this is the way it is this year --- what's coming is still, relatively speaking, a long time away. When I look at the Ordinary Form calendar, I'm just as happy for the green fallowness of Ordinary Time, a refreshing pause between feast and fast, where all we do is count the weeks and remember that in a sacramental economy, time is always ordered. Nothing is ever simply nothing, wasted and lost. It's just good, sometimes, not to be doing, but to be.
So, today's agenda:
*walk dog
*hang laundry
*put away Nativity scenes
*run errands (we're out of milk; should have bought some yesterday)
*finish packing
*go to Mass
*something for dinner
Wearing today:
*Wool& Brooklyn dress (S/Long) in Beetroot, bought November 2023, last worn sometime before Christmas. First wear in 2025
*Secondhand Allbirds gray-blue tencel-merino leggings, bought January 2023, second year of wear
*Secondhand Birkenstock Rosemead clogs, end of a second year of wear (verging on a third year)
*Thrifted Liz Claiborne cotton pullover, owned . . . many years. Like more than five.
I wasn't going to wear this dress today, because we're going to the Vigil Mass this evening, and it's a bit short and low-neckline-ey for church. But then I realized that I could a) wear this sweater over, add some boots, and be basically okay --- it's not that short, especially if the length isn't also combined with a low-cut neckline; or b) lose the pullover and wear my floral cotton-linen pinafore over, also with boots and a light cardigan, because it's not cold at all.
Anyway, I hadn't yet worn this dress this year, in all the month of January, so I thought it would be good to reach for it today. The color is a bit tricky to style, I have to admit. My medium-contrast coloring means that I don't have a lot of super-saturated bright pieces that would readily go with this intense magenta --- I like and look pretty good in the dress color, but it is a bit of an anomaly in my wardrobe. I've already packed my black cashmere footless tights, and it's a little warm for them today in any event, but a good solid winter combo with this dress is those black tights with boots and either a cobalt or teal cardigan --- or possibly my green corduroy blazer. OR my long brown cardigan coat.
Anyway, today the weather is warm but it's still winter, so here we are with the usual problem of being betwixt and between. I didn't feel like jeans. So it's back once again to the dress + leggings formula, which is very comfortable. These plummy Birks aren't too bad, since the brightness of the dress tones them down to the point where they're pretty much a neutral.
Set next to each other, they're really quite a nice combination, I think:
The blue leggings also wind up looking pretty neutral --- well, they are pretty neutral anyway, but I like them, as well, next to the color of my dress:
Picking a top layer was harder, because adding a whole other shade of blue (in this case, aqua) felt chaotic, like suddenly way too many things going on:
I might do this with more neutral shoes, or with more neutral leg coverage, or no leg coverage . . . but somehow it felt like a little much with the rest of the existing outfit.
Pink didn't really do it for me, either:
I finally went with this cobalt-blue pullover because I haven't worn it in a while, and as a kind of "straight" blue, not infused with green as the aqua is, it feels as though it chimes better with the blue of the leggings. Also, in brightness and saturation, it's a better balance with the dress color.
I think.
I mean, this is not a fabulous outfit. I am grateful that no fashion photographers roam the streets of Lincolton, NC, shooting "street style," because this is probably a primer in what not to wear, according to the Prevailing Winds. But I kind of like it, and it's comfortable for a Saturday without being just jeans or leggings or pajamas, such as a fashion photographer would be likely to see, roaming the aisles of Walmart.
Being the most dressed-up lady in Walmart is kind of a weird distinction, and it's not like you have to try that hard.
As tired as I was of heat, and as ready as I was to wear layers, and as bored as I was with all my clothes just as they came . . . now I can't help thinking that I look forward to being able to wear this dress on its own with a pair of Birk Mayaris. Just put it on and step out into the sunshine. I had grown weary of that, but now, again, it's like the promised land, ever before me and, for now, just out of reach.
AFTERNOON UPDATE:
Am I going to get to the store again? I dunno. I sure don't feel motivated, though we are out of milk.
I have:
*changed our bedsheets, done a load of house laundry, and hung said load on the line outside in the sun
*been out with the dog but not really walked, just poked around in the yard
*packed a lot for my trip
Here's my travel capsule (sorry, didn't photograph it before packing):
Dresses
Teal Fiona: to wear on the plane tomorrow and to teach and travel Wednesday
Marine Blue Fiona: wear with maxi skirt during the day Monday, then on its own with cardigan for reception and event Monday night
Aegean Teal Maggie: wear on Tuesday to meet friends and conference with students
NPL Emerald Green Smock: wear Tuesday night for dinner and reading
Skirt
April Cornell vintage rayon floral maxi, to wear with blue Fiona on Monday during the day
Cardigans:
Connemara green wool cardigan to wear with Fiona on the plane and throughout the trip
Pure teal cashmere cardigan to wear with whatever I feel like wearing it with, whenever I feel like wearing it (quite possibly Marine Blue Fiona on Monday night)
Brooks Brothers pink merino cardigan to wear with my Smock dress for the reading, and any other time I might feel like a pink cardigan
Big Eileen Fisher coat cardigan because it's warm, and I could wear it with anything I'm taking Decided to cut this one, because it takes up so much room, and I don't think I need it in addition to my Connemara cardigan and my big coat. If anything, I want to be able to pack the Connemara cardigan if I get too hot.
Tights
Uh, let me see if I remember what I packed. All Snag merino or cashmere tights:
Black footless cashmere
Sapphire merino
Sand Dollar merino
Royal Navy merino
Storm Cloud merino
Boots
Keens Baby Berns
Tari boots
Then underwear, toiletries, my diffuser (bulky, but I don't want to go out with wet hair), and extra copies of books to sell.
Coat
Teal long down coat with faux-fur hood. It's old, but it's still the best-looking coat I own, and it's warm. I decided I was really going to need the big guns, not the easily-packable puffer coat. So I'll suck it up and wear my coat on the plane. Planes are usually cold anyway.
I'm packing in my usual carry-on backpack plus a small sort of camera-case-size bag that I think is actually a tackle box. That will be my "personal item." I need to be sure to leave room for a small purse at the top of one of these bags, so I have a purse to carry when I'm not getting on a plane.
Proposed plane outfit:
NB: Obviously I can switch my proposed outfit plan up, and wear different things in different combinations on different days. But that's at least a sketch of how things could go.
BEDTIME UPDATE:
Lovely Mass for Candlemas at our parish tonight, and nice to see some old friends there. Dinner out in Hickory.
I wore:
Gotta wear the dresses that will hibernate in Lent.
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Leila dress (S/M) in Cinnamon Rose, that magical color --- bought December 2023, last worn January 19. In fact, this entire outfit, except for the tights, is an exact repeat of that day's Sunday Mass outfit. Wears in 2025: 2
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Bay tank (M) in Oatmeal, bought January 2024, first year of wear
*Snag microfiber super-opaque tights in Hot Chocolate, bought summer 2024, first year of wear
*Secondhand Keens Baby Bern boots, bought December 2024, first year of wear
I'm halfway tempted to stuff this dress and tank into my backpack, just in case. It is remarkable how warm two layers of linen can be.