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Life of Colleen
Wardrobe yadda yadda
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Sunday, January 11, 2009
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Slowly catching up on my mending. Though I'm an utter clod on a sewing machine (more's the pity--it would be a useful skill to possess), I've never minded mending clothes by hand.
I "invented" a stitch in fact (I'm sure it exists, just never heard of it). You take a single stitch, then go back over it with another. The logic is, if it ripped in the first place, it's a high stress area. More thread- and time-intensive, but do you really want to come back and repair this place again? I'm thinking of using an excess-stitch technique on other mending projects. Thread now is cheap; time is expensive.
Of course it's a judgment call: when to mend, when to give up and toss the dang thing. I recently unearthed a beautiful cherry red cardigan, formerly belonging to the old man. The thing was coming to pieces. It took me several days to fix it. Still unsure about the sleeve...I went back over it again today.
The thing is this. To replace it now would cost a small fortune, if I could even find anything like it. It's lambswool, machine washable; I've washed it numerous times over the nearly eighteen years I've owned it (it's older than that). It doesn't pill. The sole buggers were a clothes moth invasion (hence days of mending), and stress on the sleeves caused the wrist fabric to split open--my fault, I should have reinforced it before it got that bad. (In my defense, this happened when I was taking care of my kids, so I had to stash a lot of things aside to do later on.)
Otherwise--it's almost as warm as a much heavier wool pullover would be, for being a lightweight cardigan. The lambswool fabric itself is simply wearing away with time. Inspect closely to find many places where the fabric has thinned. Some of my repair was in such places.
But the structure of the thing is sound, and it has three pockets. We've become a dreary world, where we grudge people their pockets to save a paltry few squares of material.
Oh...lol
I was trying to find a photo of the red sweater (I'm almost sure I took one, long ago) and came across this. I made the image for Cafepress for this site, in 2003 I do believe.
In those days, I was so paranoid about copyright infringement that I took a photograph of my own coffee cup and used that (I still have the cup; it's white). There was a red image and a blue one. Heheh...good times.Labels: wardrobe, yadda yadda
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Garnet Hill coupon code
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Saturday, January 10, 2009
at 7:51 PM (Pacific)
$10 off any $50 purchase
$25 off any $150 purhcase
$50 off any $300 purchase
Code: G8KMENT
You can also try this (it hasn't been working for me lately):
Code: G7KMENT
http://www.garnethill.comLabels: coupon code, garnet hill
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Happy Friday!: Desert Rose
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Friday, January 9, 2009
at 9:30 PM (Pacific)
Not the biggest fan of Middle Eastern politics, but it's hard to beat Middle Eastern music. Particularly, imo, the Arab style.
Words & music by Sting
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of fire
Those dreams that tie two hearts that will never die
And near the flames
The shadows play in the shape of a man's desire
This desert rose
Whose shadow bears the secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume that will torture you more than this
And now she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns
I realize that nothing's as it seems
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of rain
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes
This rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
Sweet desert rose
Whose shadow bears the secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume that will torture me more than this
Sweet desert rose
This memory of hidden hearts and souls
This desert flower
This rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love Labels: music, videos
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Sheer randomness
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Sorry, couldn't think of a better theme. :)
Started using this the other day...Longs Drugs carries it (with a $1 off coupon, check the coupon book). I'm going through my Woolite too quickly, so I'd planned to buy two at a pop anyway.
I haven't had much issue with darks fading (regular Woolite and cold water won't easily fade good darks). Just curious to see if there's a long-term advantage to "Dark Laundry."
It's...Eric Idle! (just kidding)
Once in a while I feel like mining Youtube for the "real" 1970's. Not Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" blaring in a disco, platform sandals, ginormous afros, cheesy nylon dresses, gold chains draped over hairy chests--although all of those things were real--the decade was far more expansive than that. It was the period after the popularization of birth control pills, and before AIDS.
Not as sexy as it sounds...fantastically awkward is the phrase which comes to mind...yet there was the odd song. I loved this one, long before I comprehended the story. "On a morning from a Bogart movie, in a country where they turned back time, you go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre contemplating a crime..."
I was going to make this three items not two, but it's getting late.
Thanks for reading!Labels: clothing care, music, videos, wardrobe, yadda yadda
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Wardrobe analysis, 2009: Shoes
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Friday, January 2, 2009
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Aside from coats and heavy jackets, shoes are the most fundamental wardrobe staple...yadda yadda. I still haven't gotten mine, as I draw toward the close of my wardrobe project.
I do have my eye on some soon-to-be-end-of-the-season boots, to whit:
Only the ones I want are all black leather, not black paired with the burn-out design. I've nothing against the burn-out design; I tried it on in the "Handel" boot, and it's less funky and more versatile than it would seem.
Yet...the thing is this. I am getting shoes toward the end of my wardrobe development, not the beginning. It sounds counterintuitive; I'll guess most wardrobe gurus recommend you buy the shoes first, and jackets, then work the rest of the wardrobe around these key pieces.
However, I'm cheap. I would rather get some inexpensive footwear, like the Clarks "Tao" shoes I've been alternating for months:
...until I get enough clothes--enough pieces to compose the outfit I want, day after day, week after week, season after season, without having stuff I don't wear--once this sartorial nirvana has been attained, the "right" shoes will become obvious. Because they are the last puzzle piece, they have to fit in with the already-assembled bulk of the puzzle.
I've tried the Campus boots on; the calves just fit me, while the ankles are not tight. Form-fitting ankles would make these boots feel dated (when I was a kid in the 70's, go-go boots were high fashion; I owned a pair), but the snug calf feels good. The height is cool too...taller than a "shootie," but not a tall boot.
The little wooden heel is ideal for clods like me. (While I was at it, I tried one of their 2" skinny heel models, the Skate bootie...which looked terrific, but I was hopeless in the heels.)
I'm dying to try something like this, in fact:
Or these:
...with the shorter heel.
In that regard, it may be some time before I get my shoes, never mind the end-of-the-season boots. It's fine; I don't mind the Tao's. In fact I hate spending money on sandals, so I'm thinking of keeping something like the Tao in my rotation anyway.
images courtesy pedshoes.com, highartshoes.comLabels: cydwoq, shoes, wardrobe
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Wardrobe analysis, 2009: Sweaters
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Thursday, January 1, 2009
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
Happy New Year!
/*****/
Sweaters are akin to lipsticks: tempting and facile to buy. You may easily end up with a ton load, and use only the same few, over and over again...so it's well to analyze what you do end up wearing.
In retrospect, there were two cardigans I donned much of the time, before the weather turned and I switched to pullovers: an off-white cotton zip-front cardigan from Eddie Bauer, which I have no image of...it's one of those generic Hong Kong style cotton sweaters...and this one, from Banana Republic:
Neither strikes one as extraordinary, but that's not why I wear what I do. I want something that works.
Off-white, or any light color, cotton is the best material for our Bay Area summers, because it's chilly in the morning, morphs into sweating heat mid-afternoon, then dips back into chill in time for you to walk to your public transport. You're going to be screwed until you figure out layers...and at least some of it is psychological. I had to remove my light-colored cotton cardigan only a few times this entire summer. Yet it's high-necked and it zips, so you can adjust how warm you want it to be.
Plus, it washed well (precious little pilling, for all the washer abuse I gave it). The one thing it couldn't take was tumble drying, even on low heat. That knocked the cling out of the knit row at the bottom. I'm still recovering, coaxing it back into shape while damp.
The grey one is the perfect color--dark grey, not the crappy medium grey women seem to get stuck with. And the fabric is soft. I've also washed it many times (in a mesh bag; I'm terrified of it pilling) and weirdly, it seems to like the odd tumble dry I've had to give it.
Neither is useful in winter. Here I brought out old sweaters...pullovers I've had for more than ten years, some around twenty. Since they're not new, and I haven't photographed them...eh...most of them are men's sweaters. Men have better sweaters anyway, but particularly pullovers.
I integrated some new ones into the mix:
These are Supima cotton; I was curious if there were a substantial quality difference. The black and green ones have washed gratifyingly well, but the dark navy blue is edging toward wear at the neck and sleeves. To be fair, I bought it first, but I'm planning to mesh-bag all of them (you can find lovely mesh bags at a Japanese dollar shop, should you be lucky enough to have one).
What about wool? You still need wool, dreary as it is to take care of. I've found tightly-knit lambswool fares better than loosely-knit regular wool, but of course I'm slavering over the concept of machine washable wool and wool blends. This wool/acrylic black beauty, for example:
Hm, looks like my off-white cardigan in construction, only with cabling. I'm hoping this will not only wash and wear better, wool-wise, but will also attract less in the way of clothes moths.
Which are actually not as indomitable as it would appear: there's a mass of information about clothes moths on the Net, and I've come to think washability of wool might be a factor in keeping them away. Apparently the moths are most attracted to wool which has been worn; the larvae consume your body oils, and any food residue, along with the wool itself.
So, questions for 2009 in Sweaters are--do clothes moths consume wool blends as heartily as pure wools? And are machine washable wools and blends less prone to moth attack? I'll write back here with my observations later on.Labels: supima cotton, wardrobe
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Wardrobe analysis, 2009
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
As we roll up the sidewalks on 2008, I'd like to write a post about wardrobes.
I've almost concluded developing mine...I'm afraid I'm not a very good impulse shopper. I actually dislike shopping. But it's that dislike that makes me want to buy higher quality clothing (whilst trying to avoid higher quality prices). To state the obvious, cheap stuff falls apart, and then you're stuck shopping all over again.
This wardrobe development has been a puzzle to me, and once the puzzle is solved, you want a different puzzle. I went through something similar before, to fathom the universe of beauty products. It is next to infinite, but there always comes a point when you have solved the puzzle and that's it.
I believe this runs contrary to how women are supposed to think. We are supposed to spend our entire lives shopping. However well that might be for retail, I feel it actually makes you a lousy shopper; if you're simply going to replace something after a year or two, why scrutinize the process? Why discern?
My goal has been to develop a working wardrobe that will last roughly five to ten years. I can't afford the twenty-year wardrobe, in terms of the items and of the care they would require. But I can afford the five- to ten-year one. And for the same money, or way more, it would be just as easy to buy a one- to two-year wardrobe--and still have nothing to wear in the morning.
Only time will tell if I've done this right, but I can admit I've been pretty pleased with my collection. I like my clothes. I'm still experimenting (and bombing) with what goes with what, but I feel my clothes are...practical...without looking, ah, masculine.
I actually don't want to look masculine, I find it annoying. Not if anyone else wants to look masculine, I just find the concept of a programmer having to look masculine incredibly annoying. Yet men's clothes are more practical, which, being a programmer, I find attractive. I suppose I've wanted to capture the practical aspect of men's clothing...and men's shopping style, where they're willing to drop more money, if the quality is there, in order to not have to shop too often...without having to look masculine.
It's not as easy as it sounds. Some items, like women's shoes, are by definition either impractical or ugly. The construction is so. It's either that or wear totally masculine shoes. I was drawn to Cydwoqs on the premise that Cydwoq makes shoes you can walk in, without the dreaded look of "comfort shoes." (Oh well, there's always Ebay.)
It's 10:10 in the evening, and I feel this is an auspicious time to conclude this meandering post and usher in the new year.
Thanks for reading!Labels: wardrobe
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NCIS Gibbs rules
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
I've recently gotten into this show, and I like it. For one thing, in one of the episodes, a pivotal piece of evidence contained computer code. The man accused of writing the code stated he didn't write it, and if they would look at it, they would see he didn't write that code. Correct: no two people write code the same way. (You'd have to watch the episode in full to grasp the motive for the crime, but it's also pretty universal.)
The main character of the show is Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon. From imdb.com:
Periodically Gibbs mentions a rule. In Season 3 episode, Switch, Gibbs tells Ziva there are about 50 rules.
Here are the ones we know so far:
Rule #1: Never let suspects stay together. From episode Yankee White (season 1)
Rule #1: Never screw (over) your partner. From episode Blowback (season 4)
Rule #2: Always wear gloves at a crime scene. From episode Yankee White (season 1)
Rule #3: Don't believe what you're told. Double check. From episode Yankee White (season 1)
Rule #3: Never be unreachable. From episode Deception (season 3)
Rule #4: If you have a secret, the best thing is to keep it to yourself. The second-best is to tell one other person if you must. There is no third-best. From episode Blowback (season 4)
Rule #7: Always be specific when you lie. From episode Reveille (season 1)
Rule #8: Never take anything for granted. From episode Probie (season 3)
Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife. From episode One Shot, One Kill (season 1), Missing (season 1) and Probie (season 3)
Rule #12: Never date a coworker. From episode Enigma (season 1) and Minimum Security (season 1)
Rule #15: Always work as a team. From episode Leap of Faith (season 5)
Rule #18: It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission. From episode Silver War (season 3)
Rule #22: Never, ever bother Gibbs in interrogation. From episode Smoked (season 4)
Rule #23: Never mess with a Marine's coffee if you want to live. From episode Forced Entry (season 2)
Another one of Gibbs' rules which is used more often than the others, but without a number, is "Never say you're sorry, it's a sign of weakness." According to DiNozzo, another rule is "Never date a woman who eats more than you."Labels: yadda yadda
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I, ah, don't care for the hat
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Monday, December 29, 2008
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
 image courtesy claudiaschulz.com
...but what killer photography. Actually makes you want to buy the hat. :DLabels: wardrobe
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Dr. Hauschka shampoo review: Nasturtium and Lemon, part 2
posted by Colleen Shirazi
on
Sunday, December 28, 2008
at 12:01 AM (Pacific)
See Dr. Hauschka shampoo review: Nasturtium and Lemon, part 1
I see this was initially reviewed October 30 of this year--one great thing about blogging is you don't have to remember anything, you just have to know how to look it up. :D
I started out using this more or less regularly, then began using it daily, on my scalp. On the rest of my hair, I alternate other shampoos, such as Avalon Organics Lavender or Lemon.
Pretty much, it's gotten rid of my long-term itchy scalp. Before I came across this, I had read many posts and some articles about itchy scalp, and not one recommended this shampoo. The typical recommendation was Nizoral or tea tree oil shampoo. I tried the latter, never got around to trying the former, but over the long term I can't say it worked.
I've become a great fan of German skincare. It's not the cheapest stuff, but it is affordable, particularly when used judiciously. It's not luxe, but it works. You have to stick with it...which again makes sense (I'm suspicious of skincare which works immediately, miraculously, because it tends to be too harsh used over the long run).Labels: dr. hauschka, hair, product reviews
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