01/24/12 -- Green Day

My commute today to the Library of Congress became a celebration of spring-like weather, with temperatures reaching a sunny 60 degrees in Washington D.C. by mid-afternoon, unheard of in the middle of January. Having left a snow-covered yard this morning, I returned home to wide swaths of green grass with only a few snowy patches under my trees by evening.

All that sunshiny chartreuse called out for some green in my wardrobe! So I chose a pair of olive-hued slacks by Inclinations that I purchased at JCPenney when I worked for them in northern California in the late 1970s, and paired them with an equally vintage dolman-sleeved top by Fashion Force that my mother bought for me at Kmart when I was a teenager in the early 1970s.

I tied the outfit together with a wide black belt from Target, a pair of scallop-trimmed booties by Lower East Side, a set of olive and amber glass beaded necklace and earrings by Mixit for JCPenney, a gold-metal bracelet-watch from Chico’s, and a fashion ring of green gem-cut glass that was a gift to me last summer from Joyce, the mother of my best friend, Kari.

I bought a newfangled pony-tail holder at the horse expo the other day, so I twisted the wired black velvet contraption into my hair to form a loose bun and topped it off with a sage and black Dea Dread by Thea Osato of Baltimore (http://deadreads.etsy.com/). But that wasn’t quite enough. I needed to add to the fashion-quota a bit – to take it up just a notch. Then I spotted it, a gorgeous lightweight black velvet cape lined in chartreuse satin with a Mandarin collar and knot-and-loop fabric buttons down the front. It was a Christmas gift a few years back from my dear friend, Jan, and I had worn it only once. The swirling cape was a perfect counterpoint to the conservative slacks and simple top. My look was now complete.

Cheers,

Lynell