I’ve been neglecting you, my darlings. I hope you can forgive me. There was the election and my birthday and I’ve been traveling.* In an effort to set things right between us, I am drafting this post as quickly as I can before boarding a flight home. Let’s see what I can do in 25 minutes.
My favorite pants! With a top and a jersey that you haven’t seen for awhile. And tough sneakers.
This outfit only works with a belt around my waist. Without it, I would have no shape.
This outfit combines so many good things: stripes, leopard, favorite pants, layering, fun sneakers. Perfect for the weekend or a very casual Casual Friday.
I’ve had these sneakers for years but hadn’t worn them much because I thought that they would make my feet look exceptionally large. They have thick, exaggerated soles that extend beyond the outline of body of the shoe. That ought to make my feet look disproportionately large — it’s adding at least 1/2″ by width and length to a shoe that is already big and boxy — but interestingly the color of the soles allows them to blend into the ground in a way that black soles would not.
O.K. That’s not interesting, but it’s true.
Setting aside the question of whether these sneakers make my feet look freakishly large, they are very comfortable. Therefore I have been reaching for them on the weekends.
Can you see the soles here? Do you see what I have tried to describe?
Come closer. Behold away! If you have the day off, stare as long as you like.
All clothes from JCrew; Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs; Sneakers: Puma
* I’ve been blue, too, which sometimes makes it hard to write. I hope that you don’t think that the light tone of these posts reflects a lack of attention to the news. I read it all and it breaks my heart. BUT to my great relief . . . the Blue Wave happened and it’s Mueller Time.
Hello Directrice it is lovely to have a post to read from you – your intelligent, kind and humane voice is like a drink of water for the soul and very soothing. I feel what you are saying about the news often being distressing and it has made me think of a summary of a French philosopher whose name I cannot recall. He suggested that everyone in life subscribes to either the view la vie tragique or la vie comique and that we mostly start with la vie tragique but realise over time that la vie comique is the better of the two. He said those following la vie tragique do not yet understand la vie comique and those who are following la vie comique do not have tolerance for la vie tragique. I seem to recall or I made this interpretation up, that la vie tragique implied a reactionary stationary state of horror at the bad in the world while la vie comique was the realisation that despite or even because of the bad we must look for, create and share the beautiful and happy, or comique. We must laugh.
Thank you, this is lovely, and also reminds me that this is what I think, generally speaking.
Katie — Whether you’ve remembered this philosophy or invented it, it sounds perfect to me! Thank you for sharing this wisdom.
As a environmental scientist who also works on environmental policy I often hear from worried students. I always tell them the same thing, “all this means is that we have a lot of work to do.” Love the sporty shoes and the layering — thanks to the Directrice, I’m getting better at layering myself!
I think the shoes make your feet look particularly small: the soles are large, certainly, but your feet are clearly significantly smaller, which means they are small. I’m so glad there are signs that things might be shifting in the US, the world makes me very blue lately.
I totally relate to the being blue. As you do, I write a light-hearted blog. Of late, the light-hearted tone is hard to muster and my posts have dwindled. But I am working on one right now. And I always appreciate yours.
So much appreciation for your joie de vivre, your style, and your frankness too. Thank you!!
Love this post – your carefree, unstudied style (both in writing and dress) that belies real thought and care behind it, is quite lovely. All of which to say – you should feel free to write when pressed for time more often, as it gives a spontaneous, effervescent feel to your post.
I learned much about layering without bulking from your various posts, this one included. And also greatly value your array of flat shoes for those us who’ve decided to make heels a remnant of a former century.
The news these days is difficult and all-consuming if we let it be — tempering and balancing it is key to survival.
That outfit cheered me up just to look at it. Love the texture on the outsoles — it coordinates well with the thin stripes and the leopard print to bring more interestingness to the whole thing. You look heavenly AND impish.
l love the outfit and especially love the glasses! More posts with specs please!
Please keep blogging – you make a positive difference. Thank you.
Love this post. You are the layering queen and I take inspiration from you. Much needed in this crazy fall where one day we are 80 degrees and the next 57.
I hear you on the feeling blue. Here in Georgia the election was…is…endless…or maybe endlessly depressing. But what we wear, and how we wear it, is still important. It’s our signaling device to the world. Thus I really appreciate the inspiration you provide. Thank you for pushing through and posting even when it feels hard! It’s still inspiring to me.
(On reading this comment, I see I have used a variation of the word inspire 3 times. Not going to edit – it’s a justifiable word when talking to you!)
I sent a big donation to the New Georgia Project for voter protection two weeks before the election, Molly. Never doubt that The Directrice’s invisible hand is everywhere . . . But with good reason! Depriving people of their right to vote is the most craven tactic and new lows were achieved in Georgia and North Dakota this year. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I keep telling myself that the Blue Wave happened and that it was a great night…but here in Texas we ran into a Red Seawall, so I’m very sad. I’m proud to say that I did everything I could in terms of winning here, but sometimes even our best is not enough. We live to fight another day.
I am loving all the layering.
Jeffiner, I hear you, and as a former Texan (six years in Austin) I also felt really bad when Beto lost. But think about this. Last year, in the special election for GA-6, Jon Ossoff ran an expensive, impassioned race against the Republican Karen Handel, and Democrats were in despair when he lost 48% to 52%. But Democratic grassroots organizing in that seemingly “impossible” district laid the groundwork, and Handel lost last week to the Democrat Lucy McBath. GA-6 is now in Democratic hands. I foresee a very similar trajectory for Texas after Beto. The Democratic Party and its grassroots allies in Texas are learning how to organize and get out the vote, and they’re going to start winning. In fact, there were important wins in Texas — the longtime Republican Pete Sessions was shown the door. So take heart. Losses often lay the essential groundwork for wins.
I am so sorry, Jeffiner, but Michael is correct: You laid a foundation! Beto ran a great race and energized people to register to vote and made a difference down the ticket, too. So never imagine that you didn’t make a difference — thank you for giving everything you had. 2020!
Thank you, all.