Crazypants! The blog.

[Edit: photos added! I had to log out and back in.]

At Nordstrom last week, I found a light, drapey cardigan, something I've needed for a while. I snapped it up full price, but I'm having reservations.

Now that I've seen photos, I think it's too big. It's one size fits all, from this apparently trendy teen brand Brandy Melville that makes all their clothes in "one size fits skinny teens." I think that's practically unethical, with all the pressure to have the perfect body that kids face these days. So I'm not excited about the brand for that reason, but then also practically speaking, I'm petite and it's clearly meant for someone either larger or more slender and angular than me. What do you think? I do love oversized things but it's just not looking as cool on me as on the models.

It's really nice though, a very light wool that I could wear year-round, and affordable, too. I planned to work today, but then I decided to take photos before I cut the tags. Now I'm sort of chilly without it but I don't know if I should cut the tags and commit!

Like Aida, I didn't really go for spring or pretty. But Angie's post reminded me that this Zara tweed jacket is practically a closet orphan. Pairing it with a white graphic tee really helps! The tee is from J Crew Crewcuts and I think I should buy a few more boys' tees - I like the fit. Sneakers are new Atelje high tops that I thought would be my HEWI but are just a little too big for perfect walking comfort. Still useful.

I went to Wasteland, an awesome upscale secondhand store, this weekend. I ran into a woman whose easy, dramatic style made me feel like a total amateur at all this fashion stuff - but I'm sure she feels that way some days too. Her look was sort of dark Scandinavian minimalism. Very androgynous (oxfords, men's tees) -- she was tall and broad shouldered with long dirty blond hair and pulled off that look perfectly. I think the androgyny is what I envied most, and I'm just not the right shape to do that. But this boy's tee reminded me that a lot of the problem is just sizing and I'm sure I can work around that. Still, I'm sad about "the one that got away" -- I found an amazing Comme des Garcons men's grey pinstripe wool buttoned shirt at Wasteland. I fell in love with it but a men's medium is just too big everywhere. So I handed it to her and I'm pretty sure she bought it. I'm glad it found a worthy home.

ps - I can't think of who this might apply to, but if you are near SF and a women's large / XL and like minimalist designers, the Crossroads Trading on Haight St has an amazing collection of Vince, Helmut Lang, etc, in that size range. Gorgeous simple silk shirtdresses and such. They put their nicer pieces on hangers up on the wall and the set of items was so cohesive that I had to ask if they all came from the same seller. The manager explained that sadly, an older woman with an amazing wardrobe had passed away and her daughter had sold all the pieces to them. She sounded really happy to pass them on to people who would appreciate them.

I've been playing around with different tops to go with my new wide-leg jeans. One winner is this cropped Banana Republic shirt I got last year. I've hardly worn it because I find the cropped length challenging, but with these new higher rise jeans, it's perfect. I'd wear a tank under if I wore it to work. (Two of the photos are lightened to show detail, but I also included one that's a truer representation.)

The Gap jeans are still getting heavy use although I almost wish I'd sized down -- they do run large and the denim is light and stretches so they slide down my waist. I'm even considering getting a second pair a size smaller and perhaps cutting them an inch longer than these. But my Everlane wide-leg crops arrive next week, and they might fill that niche perfectly.

Also! You may remember my black sneaker quest, which included 10 shoeboxes delivered to my house, yikes. I found a winner: this Puma x En Noir fancy-schmancy version of the Clyde sneaker. They're nubuck rather than suede, and a bit wider and lower-profile than the classic Puma suede sneakers, so they seem to fit me better. Also, their subtle gothy details appealed to my partner so much that he just ordered a matching pair.

They're a bit small in the toebox, but I guessed that they'd be fine, and I was right! I was in Boston this week for another job interview* and I arrived a full day early to adjust to the time zone**. I spent my free day walking in the sunlight and practicing my research talks -- by the end I'd walked seven miles on Wednesday in the new sneakers. And Friday, after the second day of the interview, I walked another five miles from Longwood over to Newbury St and back. The heel rubbed a little, but I added bandaids after the first few miles and had no problems after that. These sneakers are what's been missing from my wardrobe, something I really can wear for miles and miles while traveling. They're light and packable, too. WIN.

*I wore exactly the same clothes as last time. It was great to have that all planned out ahead of time. Sadly my Theyskens blazer has moth holes and permanent sweat smell in one armpit so it might be time to pass it along, but I might duplicate it from The Real Real.

**My NY interview was really a disaster because I was sick, slept horribly from anxiety, and never adjusted to the time change. This time was perfect: melatonin, an extra day to adjust, and walking outside in the sun for hours all helped immensely. Good to know for the future.

As I got dressed today, I realized everything I'm wearing, from my top down to my socks, is something I've considered duplicating. It's not the most exciting outfit but it's made of my essentials so it feels very me.

Everlane wool top: this is the perfect essential for my style, but I haven't worn it much recently, maybe because I worry about wearing it out. A second one is on order from Everlane.

Airism seamless tee: I am not one for underlayers and I hate most synthetics against my skin, but this new all-nylon mesh top is perfect for protecting wool tops from sweat. I have it in tee and tank versions and I'll buy more next time I'm at the store.

R13 boy skinny jeans: My perfect slouchy skinnies. When they finally went on sale I bought these, then tried to buy a second pair, but the sale ended before I could commit. I'm glad I didn't, to be honest. I bought three (!!!) pairs of wide-leg jeans recently, with a fourth on order (someone please tell me to stop) and I'm not feeling as excited about skinnies just now.

Smartwool socks: Needs no justification. I buy some whenever Nordstrom Rack has anything in black.

Frye boots: Not so much a duplication as... these are maybe 1/2 a size small, so I bought a different brand of engineer boots to replace them. Which turned out to be worse. And then, these broke in reasonably well and I love them enough to suffer through a bit of pressure on my instep. I still wish I could trade for a larger size, though. But I'm accumulating an embarrassing number of expensive boot failures!

(For completeness, I'm also wearing a bra and underpants that I have in multiples. And I always want more.)

Underlayers make sense to duplicate, for sure. I can't decide about the duplicate sweater top, but it was discounted at Everlane and I had a lot of store credit. Maybe I'll store it in a sealed plastic bag and take it out when the moths get this one -- I saw something fluttering out of my clothes rack when I grabbed this top today. Will the silhouette age well or will I get tired of it? Should I get a larger size just to cover my bases?

(And really I need to stop buying wide-leg jeans. I looked for so long before I found any I liked that now the scarcity mentality kicks in whenever I find another perfect pair. Four is probably the limit. But at least I like them all!)