Crazypants! The blog.

Every August, without fail, I start getting excited about clothing again. Summer styles aren't my thing. As soon as the darker colors start reappearing, it's like I'm binging after a long fast.

Some of these things are wardrobe staples but I should be picky about what I keep.

1. Gap denim top. I'd probably trim the fringe a bit. It could be a good wildcard or it could be too boho for me and hard to style. I think it's actually a little short on the torso - the darts aren't in the right place. What do you think?

2. Everlane men's short sleeve shirts. I think I like the white and not the black. I love the long sleeve version I bought this summer and I've been searching for more short sleeve shirts. It's oversized of course but I think it fits my look. Styled with skinnies and wide leg crops to test different ideas.

3. Phillip Lim shirt from the Outnet. It's cool, and my style. It's also expensive and a little fussy. I do wear a lot of shirt dress tunic things... but maybe I don't need another. Fit looks great but it's tight through the chest when I move my arms.

4. Madewell denim skirt. So I own a zillion skirts and I've only worn a skirt three times since April. But when I did, it was always my Gap black denim skirt that is a little big and hits just below my knee. I like this as an alternative because it's much more flattering. And I've gone through phases of wearing a denim skirt really often. But also, is this too short for, say, the conference I'm going to next week? (Everyone dresses like they're at summer camp. Summer camp for grown up nerds! So the only concern is the sexiness, not casualness.)

I did one of those "I should know better" things the other week. I bought a wool Margiela cardigan at the good used clothing store, took it home, and realized it was perfumed just enough to be unwearable. 

I may have mentioned that I'm very sensitive to most fragrances (headaches and upset stomach). Well, unsurprisingly, a lot of used items have a strong perfume scent. I don't always notice in the store, surrounded by competing scents, but it hits once I'm home. I can't count how many times I've tried to wear a thrifted item and changed my outfit within minutes. Even when I think I can just ignore it... no. And this is after I've washed it, or even dry cleaned. It doesn't help.

I was sad about my lovely Margiela sweater so I hit the internet looking for a solution. Everywhere I searched seemed to recommend the same product: Atsko Sport Wash. It's marketed for hunters who need to be scentless to avoid deer noticing them though as far as I can tell they also sell the exact same product as Sensi Clean laundry detergent and a few other re-labelings.

So I bought some off Amazon and it was miraculous. I wore the Margiela sweater today and I can't smell even the tiniest whiff of perfume.

They claim it's safe for wool and silk and all sorts of delicates, though I'm a little nervous, given how strong it seems to be. But I did a whole load of delicates with this stuff instead of my usual detergent and everything smells so much cleaner now. My delicate-wash silks were building up a bit of human odor from overly-gentle washing.

The funniest thing is that I also washed a heavily perfumed Madewell top I got for a few dollars... and now that the perfume is gone, I can tell that the wool is completely permeated with sweat smell. Ew. No wonder it was perfumed! I suppose that's why humans started using the stuff to begin with...

Speaking of consignment stores, I sold a stack of nice things I don't wear anymore and got $275 for them! Good laundering helped there, too -- they'd passed on buying a white Everlane shirt that was just a bit yellowed. I threw it in the wash with my other whites and some Oxyclean until it was shining white, and they bought it on the second try.

I jumped on the wide-leg crop trend, accidentally ending up with three pairs all at once. A few months in, I'm still wearing them often, though I think my next purchases will be slim, straight legs. One thing I've struggled with is tops. Aside from a few tees, I was at a loss for what looked good with them. So I was excited to find this cropped top at Madewell last weekend. The fitting room sales person - who recognizes me by now - said, oh, I have just the thing for you! and handed me this top that had been an online return.

I've always avoided tops like this because I didn't like how they tent out from my chest. I assumed they'd only work on a smaller chest/torso. But this one is surprisingly flattering and so I'm giving it a try. It's a nice heavy cotton knit.

I've found a few other tops that work well, including the Everlane square silk shirt and a cropped BR shirt from a few seasons ago. Long tunics work well for me, too. I'll try to take photos of a few other combinations - I took today's photos to convince myself that the top was a winner before cutting the tags.

The pants are the Everlane wide leg crops, pinned up until I have time to hem them. (Is this length good? Hard to see with my Dr Martens I suppose.)

Fall clothes are hitting stores and that means more black (yay!) and more structure (yay!). I'm suddenly spending a lot more time browsing new arrivals...

Edit: I can't seem to make a Find from the Madewell page right now but here's the top:

https://www.madewell.com/p/wom.....-tee/G5518

I think I finally found my next leather jacket. It's cropped, heavy but not stiff, and a classic biker style. I'm getting an honorarium for a talk I'm giving soon, so that justifies the cost.

I almost bought it at a local boutique. But when I looked at the designer's site I discovered that they're all hand made to order and they'll do a custom sleeve length for free!!!

I'm so used to sleeves being too long. I don't know what length is correct. I do want the sleeves to be past my wrist for sure.

So here are photos of the standard sleeve length. How much shorter should I go?

Ps these jeans are so much less flattering than I thought (they're a size too big but I thought it was fine).

A few months ago I scored a cool DKNY bomber with cape sleeves. I love the idea and the wool suiting fabric but I kept not wearing it. Angie's post last week inspired me to finally cut the tags.

If it were warmer I'd have worn sandals as in her outfit idea. I did cuff my jeans at least!

I like it though I feel super self conscious about the "weird" sleeves. I can wear them more conventionally but it turns out I hate feeling the tight, warm cuffs on my wrists. When I got the sleeves shortened I should have gone with my gut and asked the tailor to make a self-fabric gathered cuff. I wonder if I can find matching fabric and do it myself?

I'm tickled pink by the pink in my new glasses. I love it. I suppose it's almost a very pale lilac, but whatever the color, I think of it as pink. It is a surprisingly good shade next to my cool-pink-undertone skin. So I'm having a temporary fling with pink.

Shopping this week, with pink in mind, finally made me understand why I chose all black. I suffer, constantly, from choice overload. When I have options, I need to choose the one right choice. The single best. And of course there never is a single best, so I'm stuck! Mired forever in overanalysis. Each choice fits into some larger set of life choices, eventually spiraling into my whole identity. "What does it mean for me to be a person who wears pink?" my brain whispers at the mirror. Or, "this dress is a thing a person in Strict Fashion Subcategory III.A.2 would wear, and you are a person in Subcategory III.A.5, so that's right out."

So, it goes like this. There are many shades of pink, right? There are so many ways I could fit a bit of pink into my black wardrobe.

Let's say pink sneakers. Should they be monochrome and minimal, like the current trends? Or have a rock and roll edge to toughen up the pink?

And what pink? There's a warm blush that is very trendy in minimalist looks, often paired with black, but cooler pinks look better on me. Pale petal pink might work, but it reads as the most feminine. Lilac looks good, but it is neither rock 'n' roll nor minimalist. Metallic is cool, but also the opposite of my usual minimalism. And so on.

And then I'm reconsidering every aspect of my style before I know it! Chaos. Much simpler to stick with black and free up my brain to do science.

Well. Now that the navel gazing is over, here are two photos of me trying on different lilac-y colors at Crossroads for color analysis.
1. The tee is too big but I wanted to see the color on me -- matches my glasses. Edit: tried on for the color only, never intended to be bought! It's entirely the wrong size and a fabric I wouldn't wear.
2. Madewell shirt, brighter than I want.
I think this family of lilac-pinks is good on me? It doesn't wash me out. But does it bring out the pink in my skin too much?

3. Also at Crossroads, the aforementioned "dress for Strict Fashion Subcategory III.A.2" (Allsaints, with structured darts and origami puffs of fabric, much more goth-femme than my usual, but so lovely! But I never wear dresses... And I'm out of hanger space... But it's only $30...)

And here are finds for some sneakers I am idly considering. The first pair, I bought at Macy's on super sale this weekend, but they are stiff synthetic material (not leather as described) and my feet sweat in them so they will probably go back.

If I try on any other pinks over the next week, I'll update this post with photos.

Angie's post is well timed. I've been wearing more white recently and I took photos of yesterday's outfit to post.

Since some movie or other that I saw in middle school, I've had an image of the elusive (illusory?) Perfect White Shirt, the one that looks stolen from your boyfriend yet ultra cool and flattering. They never quite live up to it but here's my latest attempt.

It's a men's oxford from Everlane, their new "air oxford" - almost as light as poplin but with the feel and durability of oxford. I sized up to a men's small. If I were taller I might size up even more to get the right oversized look, but at my height I'd be lost in it. Anyway, when I tried it on in the store, another customer came over and said it was the perfect shirt, so I decided to go for it.

Incidentally this outfit would be perfect with the pink sneakers I don't own! Old R13 boy skinny jeans, new Puma sneakers.

(Pardon the wet hair in the photos.)

I've always owned a pair of classic black & white Converse Chuck Taylors. They were my signature look until a few years ago when they fell out of constant rotation. They just didn't quite look right with most of my outfits. Oxfords, refined flat boots, and the like took their place.

But, comfortable shoes are great. And the thing is, I'm really a casual person, just not sporty. I needed sneakers that fit my minimalist aesthetic and had a bit of edge. And I ended up with not one, not two, but four new pairs of sneakers. I can see how people fall into the rabbit hole of sneaker collabs... there's always some new limited edition.

I'm wearing all of these happily but I really need to stop here and NO MORE SHOES until these are worn into the ground. After my moth incident, I tidied up my "closet" (aka half my bedroom) and bought an Ikea shoe rack to contain the shoe situation. With the rack and the white shoe-filing cabinet, I have just enough space for my current collection -- and no more.

1. Puma x En Noir Clyde in nubuck. So comfy. These have become my go-to shoes for travel. A little more casual than my usual. My boyfriend liked them so much that he bought his own pair.

2. Puma x Stampd Clyde in perforated leather. Uh. I know I don't need two pairs of Pumas but these are all I've ever wanted in a minimalist sneaker. They're more refined than the other pair, with unlined leather and a pared-down look.

3. Converse Modern Lux. They were stupidly expensive for Converse, but the minimalist touches really called out to me. And they're perfect with all my new cropped wide-leg jeans. Unfortunately they're a little narrow, but I cut the tags and wore them today with no real discomfort. (While creating the Find for this post, I discovered the price had dropped from $140 to $70, and I got a price adjustment from Nike!!)

4. Atelje71 Emerald. These were probably a mistake, bought from Gilt a few months back. I like the retro 90s style but they're too big (I was between sizes) and my heel slides up and down. They don't work with cropped jeans the way I was hoping, but they're cool with skinnies or boyfriend jeans.

No more sneakers allowed. (But if any of you are looking, the Puma Stampd shoes also came in a dusty rose that might still be available in some stores, as well as white-ish and light grey that you can still get at Puma. Sizes are men's/unisex.)

Even I am wearing pink!

I say that my current glasses are a key part of my look. And I do love them -- the color makes me really happy and I think they flatter my face shape. I've had them five years, and the lenses are wicked scratched. I was going to replace the lenses in the same frames.

Then, at my favorite eyeglass store (Eye Gotcha on Castro St), a sales guy with a knack for choosing the right frames completely sold me on the idea of something new. These frames were the first ones he thought of, and the boldness of the black frame with icy pink sides just called out to me.

I was there on a day that the designer (Anne et Valentin) had a trunk show with all the frame color options (the shop was so crowded!). For this same frame, I could have gone with a color theme similar to my old glasses, warm tortoiseshell in front and a vibrant purple-blue on the sides. But it was time for a change, and the trunk show designer rep also said he preferred these because they were a little edgier and matched my style better.

I hope he's right! It's always hard to adjust to a new look but it's exciting, too.

My one aesthetic dilemma, photo #3: I've been wearing lime green eye shadow occasionally (no mascara, going for a sort of weird Tilda Swinton effect). I'm not sure it really goes with the pink frames. What do you think?

ps - as a bonus, these stay on my face so much better. My old glasses always slid down my nose, with no nose pads. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the main source of my forehead wrinkles, a lifetime of scrunching up my face to move my glasses up my nose.

pps - these photos are from the day I bought them, without prescription lenses. My eyes look so much bigger! I don't have good photos yet of the final version, but it's too bad that my strong prescription will always shrink my eyes (-6 plus -3 astigmatism).

So yes, that happened. I think it's ok though. No damage. But I should decide on this vest!

Every season for the past two years, my wish list has had VEST!! at the top, but I never find the right one. Long but not too long, tailored but casual, wool but not heavy. This is by Alexander Wang via Nordstrom Rack and it's tailored beautifully from lightweight, unlined woven wool. (Almost the same texture as the lightlaine fabric from Ann Demeulemeester, a hint gauzier than suiting.)

Downsides:

• Expensive ($250) so it would have to become a central part of my look. 
• The racerback cut is actually a little tight on my back (not too small, just not the best cut for me).
• I don't love how the a-line cut emphasizes my new wider hips (I just haven't gotten used to that silhouette on myself yet). 

But overall it's so close. What do you think? Will I wear this a few times a month?

Ok, but here is the moth saga: I brought the vest home a few days ago and hung it neatly on the back of my bedroom door, my cat-hair-free holding zone for purchases I might return. Then I walked in yesterday and saw a moth flutter off the vest, and little lines of tiny, tiny spheres (eggs?) on the vest and on an Everlane silk shirt I also might return. F#*$! So I jumped into action.

1. Used a clothes brush to brush off the eggs. Checked every square inch. Then folded it neatly, put it in a giant ziploc, and put it in the freezer just in case.
2. Assessed my wardrobe. Damn but I own a lot of wool. Photo #4 is all my wool wovens. I am carefully brushing & checking each one and bagging them all while I sort this out.
3. Bagged all my wool sweaters and tops (photo #5) and put them all in the freezer (#6) to kill any larvae. Luckily we got a new fridge just last week so the only things in the freezer were one bag of frozen edamame and a bottle of vodka (for making pie crust...)!

Did I mention I own a lot of wool? Oy. I keep finding more. Scarves, gloves... my Pendleton blanket... so far, the only serious damage was to this old wool scarf at the bottom of my scarf bin (photo #7). I never wear it (it is not black!), so I don't know if this damage was recent or ancient. I did find one hole in my interview blazer a few weeks ago... but so far the damage is mercifully light.

I ordered pheromone traps (one day Amazon delivery, so I already have them!). They'll catch the adults, and tonight I'll do a thorough vacuuming and clean inside my drawers. I decided not to worry about all my silk - I hope I don't regret that!

But what a tedious way to spend a whole Sunday...

And here's a stray WIW outfit from last week (photo #8): Uniqlo IDLF silk shirt, thrifted J Brand boyfriend jeans that I love SO much more now that I chopped and cuffed them, and Steve Madden block heel sandals that I never wear but are actually perfect so maybe I'll hold onto them and work them into the usual rotation.