January 23, 2018

Cashmere is a Sweater

Nicole outfits

In the famous words of Ogden Nash:

Christmas Present

Cashmere is a sweater.

Mere cash, even better.

While I wouldn’t say no to mere cash, I must say that I do rather like this cashmere sweater. (I didn’t get it as a Christmas present though.) I got it a few years ago from the thrift shop, and I didn’t ever have anything to wear it with, as it has quite a brown undertone, and so it sat forlornly on my shelf. I thought that when I wore it last Sunday, it was the first time, and so I made a pronouncement to that effect to my mom and sister, who immediately said that, yes I had worn it before, and the last time I wore it, I had said the exact same thing. Well, apparently I don’t recall my outfits, so I don’t know if this was the second, or third or maybe the tenth time I’ve worn it. However it is the first time it is appearing on the blog, so at least there is that first!

This is also the first time this wool skirt has appeared on the blog. Actually, now that I think about it- this wool scarf too. And these fishnet tights. I think that’s all.

The reason this skirt has not shown up before, is because I didn’t finish sewing it until December 30 at 11:00 at night, so I could wear it the next day. I sewed the majority of the skirt back in October, but then never finished hemming it. Hems are such a bother aren’t they? So, on December 30, I sat down and finished hemming the skirt. And then the next day, I didn’t even end up wearing it! But that’s OK, because I’ve worn it a few times since, and it really is the best addition to my wardrobe. (And if I hadn’t finished it then, it might still be in my sewing pile!)

I hated sewing with this material (100% wool, they said, but it has a bit of stretch, so I’m not sure), but the finished garment is wonderful. It has the perfect amount of drape in the skirt and it hangs nicely. That accursed little bit of stretch makes it actually quite comfortable. It’s black, so it goes with 75% of everything in my wardrobe. And looks good both with or without a petticoat- exactly my kind of skirt. It’s funny, I never sewed a circle skirt until this past June, because I was always afraid that they wouldn’t be flattering. But, since that first one, I’ve now made two more, and am planning for another- they are actually the perfect kind of skirt for me, and I can’t get enough of them!

As for the rest of the outfit, the reason I am wearing two different hats, is because I walked to church wearing the beret, and then changed into the hat once I got there. It is small enough that it fit in my large purse, and that way my ears didn’t freeze, because obviously it has no warmth! (If you interested, I did a guest post on how I embellished this hat, on Chronically Vintage, right here.)

And, a note about this scarf; I was selling my artwork at a farmer’s market in December, and the lady beside me was selling beautiful knitwear. I started looking at her table, and none of the pieces she had were the right colour/style etc. and then she pulled this wool scarf out (she hadn’t put it out on the table yet) and it was The One. I’ve been wanting a wide blanket scarf like this for a while; the sort of thing you can pull over your head when it’s windy. Anyways, I’ve been wearing it quite a bit lately, because it has been so cold. It was definitely a good investment. Although, I do seem to have this bad habit- I go to these markets to sell, and yet I seem to come home with things. . .

Have you ever been unsure of a certain style of garment, but once you try it, it turns out to be the best thing ever?