A Summer Habit

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I went through all of my summer clothes on Memorial Day weekend to figure out what needed discarding, repairing, replacing, and wearing.
 
Good news! I got rid of a few things, decided that I could revive a few neglected items by pairing them with interesting belts, and realized that I didn’t need anything, but could justifiably look for a casual white dress (to replace one that just seems too short to me now*) and a serious, on-the-level work dress.**

 
 
 
In case you are wondering what I mean by “a serious, on-the-level work dress” — I guess I mean an impeccable knee-length, cap-sleeved or sleeveless dress that I could wear to an important work meeting. No whimsical bulges, errant seams, or displaced buttons.
 
While looking for the serious dress, I found this charming top which says Wall Street Nun to me.
 
What does it say to you?
French blue, striped cowl, for those who remember our clerical vernacular

 
 
I haven’t worn a collar this big since this sweater.
 
So much to love here: world’s largest platter collar, asymmetry, stripes, buckles.
 
Last summer I showed you a floppsilicious bow; this whole top is kind of floppsilicious

This fabric is, however, a little stiffer
So maybe the top is more weeble-wobbly than floppsicilous

 
 
And though I have no way to show you this, the stripes appear to be black and white on blue when I am wearing my glasses, but they look yellow when I am not wearing my glasses.
 
As a result, I am hosting a vicious, internal debate — not unlike The Dress that tore the Internet apart in 2015. Is it black or yellow?
Implicated in this debate are difficult questions about the nature of perception, technological enhancement, and truth; also, insults

A blind manatee could see that the stripes are yellow!
“Don’t drag the blind manatees into this,” she hissed.”Put on your glasses!”

 
 
 
Fortunately some of the details — like these buckles — require no interpretation.
Buckles do, however, raise questions about purpose; they aren’t really tightening (or loosening) anything

 
 
We took these photos at City Center several hours before the Capitals won the Stanley Cup. I am hoping the cup will be on display at the Verizon Center.
 
Even before the game had started, drunk celebrants were moving into position at Metro Center. I watched a sunburned man holding a beer bottle puzzle over the control buttons on an outdoor elevator for a long period of time. Was it the sun, or the beer, or the combination?
 
We’ve cropped the drunk Caps fans from these photos, but thought you would like the beach balls strung above the pedestrian walk.
SO jaunty

 
 
Before heading home, The Photographer and I stopped by my office. He was very taken with my office clock — hung above my monitor — which has an erasable, white-board face.
It’s helpful to mark snack- time and the following sugar low; note that snack-time is a portion of the afternoon

 
Top: Sea; Pants; JCrew; Shoes: Rebecca Minkoff; Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs; Watch: Michele Serein 16; Bracelets that I forgot to wear: David Yurman
 
* Nothing I say or do provokes more comments than when I announce my dress is too short. Or that my jeans are too skinny. I love you for for encouraging me to wear shorter skirts and tighter jeans . . . even though I won’t do it.
 
** Athough I love them, these are not on-the-level work dresses: summer DoP; Marni; Utility.

14 thoughts on “A Summer Habit”

  1. My Mother was telling me that she thinks a lawyer can be too nice looking for their own and their clients good. They had a zoning challenge and their lawyer had a professional/nice looking suit and the City Attorney looked like a slob, and she felt that part of their losing was that the Jury was more receptive to the slob look. She was there and got a look at all parties.

    Of course you aren’t going to be a slob at work, but a dress that doesn’t speak one way or another is probably a good idea.

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    • Totally beautiful! Thank you for sharing this, Elbe. I do wonder if it wouldn’t be too long for me and maybe better on Directrice readers over 5’5”? Ordinarily, length would be an easy fix — but here, taking up the hem would shorten the length/line of those wonderful seams and pleats. If the armscyes were full/wide though, the blouse could be taken up through the shoulder seams!

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    • Why embarrassed? Totally in the first few pictures they look bright pink. Perhaps our color perception was influenced by the mysterious bright pink blob in the background.

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    • That sounds like a trick of the monitor! But pink on blue doesn’t sound like me. (I must consider this!) Makes me think of the pink-blue dress at the end of Sleeping Beauty (Disney version).

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  6. Love that top and also Elbe’s top picture in her comments. Just a great idea for summer with white pants or skirt. So clean and feminine.

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    • The clock is Alessi, and it can be found in a number of places — YOOX, Yliving, the Alessi website. I really love it — it makes everyone laugh.

      Reply

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