Evolution of fashion, or how Hannah changes her mind.

When I was in middle school I decided I hated jeans. I don’t really remember the reasons. Maybe it was the roughness of the fabric or the fact that everyone seemed to wear them constantly. Either way, I decided no jeans for me. All through high school I did what I could to avoid them. I wore corduroys, vintage dress pants, skirts but no jeans. Between the ages of 13 and 18 I was jeans-free.

Then came college and how things changed. I bought my first pair of jeans and for the next 10 years, jeans became the foundation of (almost) everything I wore. No big deal just a huge change. I didn’t even think about how long I had loathed them jeans were all I wanted.

Almost ten years ago people started wearing leggings on a regular basis. Leggings are the worst, I thought, lazy dressing. Well, here I am post-pregnancy and all I want to wear are leggings.

Maybe I am now lazy. Maybe it’s just that I’m in-between sizes. Maybe when you are schlepping around an almost three-month infant there is just no time to think about dressing beyond stretch. Or, maybe my style has changed.

I’m going back to work on Monday. Leggings and a nursing tank are not really work appropriate. And now I feel at a stylistic loss. What to wear when I want to wear the easy and comfort I’ve come to love on leave, need to wear something that will allow ease of access for pumping 3x daily and still looks like I’m an adult in a workplace. Oh, that doesn’t cost much money because new parent. Time to evolve.

(this post brought to you by a Joanie-nap)

last week on Tumblr: homes & fashion

Some inspiration from Hannah’s House of Dreams and What Hannah Would Wear – because sometimes Tumblr is just an excuse to dream.

 a bright room calls for some stylish sunglasses.

fall fashion inspiration

the leaves are changing color. the high holiday’s have come and gone. it’s fall. I adore fall. I love saying goodbye to summer clothing and hello again to sweaters, tights and scarfs.

As the season continues to change here are some looks from recent blogs that have struck my eye and inspired me.

From garancedore I love love love the print of the hat with the print of the dress (luckily I have a hat just like that sitting on my shelf waiting to be worn – bought years ago at Polly Sues Vintage)

From http://www.styleclicker.net.  This just looks so comfortable and chic to me. Every aspect of this outfit is for me perfection.  I used to wear scarfs as headbands like that a couple of years ago and think it’s time to bring them back again.

From http://www.thesartorialist.com. Cardigan, Slouchy pants lace up mens shoes. This just screams fall to me.

And one for the boys:

Also from the sartorialist. love.

summer styles

some fashions I starred in my google reader over the last month or so. I spent most of the summer wearing my Fringe staff t-shirt and heat makes me reluctant to play around with what I wear. But here is some summer inspiration…

from Copenhagan Street Style. I love the flowy soft blouse with the jeans.

again soft and flowing. this is what I want in summer, plus, the color is fantastic and I love the star necklace.

again soft skirt and shirt, well accessorized, with, what really wins it over for me, sneakers. both of the images above come from Stil in Berlin.

and finally from Style Clicker this ultimate preppy comfortable summer look. I love, again, the loose blouse, and the rolled up pants.

round one: the dresses i can’t even question

round one: the dresses i can’t even question, originally uploaded by hanvnah.

these couldn’t be thrown on the bed with the rest. they are mine and can’t be questioned. click on the photo to see my comments about the dresses kept. one other thing to note – from the wall to where the hangers start is the amount of space i will have in my closet – only a third or what i currently have.

let the sorting begin!

round one: the contents of my closet

round one: the contents of my closet on my bed, originally uploaded by hanvnah.

my emptied closet sits on my bed waiting to be sorted.

the trip, the next few weeks, and randomness

this is a big entry. sorry. or your welcome. whichever works for you.

the trip

Seattle is an amazing city…comfortable and beautiful, urban and yet natural. I totally dug it. I had a wonderful birthday. The day was spent doing some of my favorite things: spending a long time in an antique store filled with costume jewelry, vintage clothing and accessories (I bought a pink straw hat, totally a necessity). Then a few hours were spent on my own doing what I love best: wandering a city I don’t know very well, popping in shops, taking pictures, listening to music and keeping my eyes open. It’s really my absolutely favorite past time. (the picture above is from my wandering, my reflection and the reflection of a mural in the window of a bar).

I also spent some time in SAM (seattle art museum) which has a great collection of Modern art and had a really inventive special exhibit on Impressionist art, placing Impressionists works next older art from various time periods really highlighting the radical changes the Impressionists pursued. I found it especially fascinating since I’ve never been a huge fan of Impressionist art but I think mainly because I’m seeing it with eyes used to modern art. Trying to see it the way it was seen when it was painted was a brand new and interesting experience.

My birthday dinner was at Palace Kitchen. It was recommended by a couple of friends and did not disappoint. It was exactly the type of restaurant I love – inventive delicious food served in relaxed comfortable surroundings. I had the tastiest salmon with morels and sweet corn and a rich chocolate mousse/custard amazingness for dessert.

The rest of the trip was fun as well. Most of the time was spent in family bat mitzvah time (which may be a whole posting if i get around to it). I took a bunch of photos and the set is all up on flickr.

the next few weeks

the next few weeks are going to be busy and fast. so much is going on! three weeks – three shows. wowzers. i stop working in a week and a couple of days but my business knows no end. three weeks – three shows.

I went to the Fringe Preview last night, it looks like the normal exciting mix of really interesting and really frightening. i also got the fringe brochure and am starting to mark the ones i want to see. but i don’t know how i will since i have three weeks – three shows.

Delusions of Spandex: Dorks on the Loose: It I Awkward is the first show. It’s gonna be awesome (buy tickets) The Post Going Out Gurus said that based on the names of Fringe Shows Dorks on the Loose was one they wanted to see.

Marat/Sade is the second show and new posts on the forum blog should be up soon. and then the third is the return of eXtreme eXchange: and it’s interactive! and I’m going to be writing a play for it! check the eXtreme eXchange blog for more details.

Oh, and on top of all that I need to pack. and find a place to live. and do a lot of other things.

some randomness

I had over 800 blog posts in my Google Reader when I came home on Tuesday. I erased most of them but there were a couple of things i’ve starred to come back to when I have time. so, sometime in january or something. but here are a couple of things that stood out to me – haven’t read them all yet but maybe I’ll read these sooner than the others:

– Jew and the Carrot – Revolutionary Cookbooks

-I found the pictures on Femme Femme Femme of Ingrid Bétancourt this morning filled with strength and inspiration.

–Kosher-Keeping Vegans Go Undercover To Break The Biggest Case Of Animal Cruelty In American Jewish History on Jewcy. It looks like this article has something for everyone – plus I know my sister will appreciate the first line: Philip and Hannah Schein are the Rina Lazarus and Peter Decker of American vegans…I can’t wait to read the full article/interview

–The Artful Manager thinks about how Art should be viewed. I’d like to spend a couple of hours wrapping my brain around these questions.

– Isaac Butler talks about storytelling and how it relates to his work on Parabasis – again a subject I’d like to devote some more brain power to – the problem with being so busy is that I can never find time to devote to the bigger questions i have about the work I do – hopefully going back to school will help with some of that.

– The Thoughtful Dresser on Eccentric Glamor . It’s the first time I’ve heard that phrase and is totally how I’d like to classify my style.

– Jason Grote reflects on the Washington Times review of THIS STORM IS WHAT WE CALL PROGRESS at Rorschach (go see it!)

-Boing Boing pointed out a New York Times article on Urban Hiking. Which I’m guessing, since I haven’t read it yet, is more or less my favorite pastime – mentioned above.

bites

it must be summer in dc. my legs are covered in bites. itchy big red bites. and i know that even those these will disappear in a week they will be replaced, mosquitoes really do love me,  and on it will go until summer ends. and at that time i won’t be in dc any more. my last few months in dc will literally bite.

i’ve been feeling a bit frazzled lately. maybe it’s the bites, or the fear of the unknown, or spring fever, or my trying at the same time to do to much and to do to little.

with all of the frazzledness I’ve been taking comfort in nostalgia. Not just any nostalgia but high school nostalgia. that time ten or more years ago. I was in high school from 1995-1999.  i actually enjoyed for the most part my high school experiences. I was lucky to go to a school that was small, artsy and urban. We were cool, we were dorks but it didn’t matter that much. the clique’s existed but where the standard high school clique’s involved groups of jocks or groups of nerds or groups of pretty girls who always got the boys (in some realms cheerleaders) the field school, which i called my high school home, had maybe two jocks, maybe three nerds, and four of those popular girls.

In pop-high school terms i was probably the artsy kid, surrounded by artists we would sit out on the lawn or in a little hallway we had claimed and sketch each other, or talk about what Shakespeare monologue we loved the best, or talk about punk music, or ska.  we wore flannel and polyester.  i did not own a pair of jeans. in the years 1994-2000 there were no jeans in my life. now that feels so odd. I wore vintage mens pants or corduroys.  My favorite places to shop were the vintage clothings stores that then dotted adams morgan and my dad’s closet where i would pull pants and cardigans.

extreme fashion rules

I’m getting closer to my March 1 able to shop date. I am approaching the date with both excitement and fear. I don’t want to jump back in to my former mode of acquisition. Yet, I am excited to start spending time browsing vintage on ebay and etsy again. This past weekend I hosted a swap’n’brunch, which was a deliciously girly affair with flowing champagne, clothing piled high, and Pride and Prejudice on TV (I really haven’t felt that girly in years).  I did good in the swap, only taking a handful of very wearable pieces and getting rid of much more than I gained.

Looking around my closet, which is huge and still overflowing, and looking at my equally overflowing shelves I know there is still more to get rid of. And I know it makes no sense after the March 1 date to add much more to what there is. I think I need a clear set of rules about what to buy and how to rid myself of the excess. I would love to have a wardrobe that is clear in it’s style and point of view. It’s always been my dream that I would be able to mix and match every item I own on any day. A wardrobe so well put together that if I grabbed items blindfolded I would still be chic, unique, timeless and comfortable. That is my dream wardrobe.

New York Magazine takes a look at a  handful of artists who have taken their wardrobes to extremes by adopting one monochromatic look.  These people are doing what I could never do, I love pattern too much. But a glimpse inside their closets and inside their dedication to color is inspiring. And who knew stephen merritt only wears brown?

yes, it’s true: shoes

I won’t go to into my rationalization but i bought them because a true miracle happened. It turns out, they were sitting waiting for me at a store just down the road, magically on sale. how could i resist?