bookish in crochet

Crochet and floral top, Ross

distressed denim mini, Old Navy (very old)

    I don't own much crochet or lace, but I couldn't resist picking up this top. It just looked like the perfect top for summer. 

 

Floral print on the back of the shirt

      Week 2 of summer break was similar to the first ... a lot of lazing around with books! I read Otsuka's "The Buddha in the Attic," which is about Japanese picture brides' experiences in America, and really enjoyed the collective voice narration. Instead of following one or several women, Otsuka tells much of the story from a "we" point of view, with characters emerging with haunting details, then vanishing into anonymity.  I can see how that wouldn't appeal to every reader (after I finish a book, I like to take a peek at the Amazon reviews, and people were split on their liking of the narrative device), but to me it suited Otsuka's poetic style and it had an incantatory power at some points. I also finished Atkinson's "Case Histories." I'm not a big mystery reader, but I rather liked this one, enough so that I've got the second in the series on request at the library.
      Besides obsessively reading, I did manage to go to the gym twice (major accomplishment, I haven't gone in years). I also bought some boldly patterned chiffon to make a kimono top, and cut out the pieces - basically 3 rectangles. I haven't sewn with chiffon before, so I'm looking forward to mastering a new type of fabric, as well as learning how to sew a French seam.

spots and dots

shirt, DIY 

belt, thrifted

skirt, Old Navy

necklace, New Zealand

Revlon lip butter in Raspberry Pie

       Old Navy's quality can be hit or miss, but these skirts have been non-work-wear staples since I bought them years ago. I used to wear the stretch one a lot more, but have been favoring this non-stretch one lately because it's just a tad longer. 

      This is a simple outfit, but I think adding the belt made it a little more interesting. So did adding a bright lip. I like the color straight out of the tube (see here - hmm, somehow it doesn't look as bright as I remember) but I'm not used to seeing myself in such a vivid lip color. I used my finger to apply it this time and that made the brightness a little easier to take. After looking at last year's photos, however, I think next time I'll wear it straight out of the tube ...

Try-it-out Tuesday: statement necklace & bag

Merona buttondown, passed down by E.I.

skirt, Old Navy, old

necklace, eBay

Tignanello bag, Goodwill, $4.99 (retail: $85)

Dansko Calliope sandals, $36, 6pm.com

     I wear this skirt all the time, but this is it's first star turn on the blog. Why? I usually wear it very casually - to run to the store, weekend errands, etc. But recently it got a little dressed up for a weekday lunch with a friend. And it liked it!

    This gorgeously patterned bag is my first thrifted bag. I had much better luck from the start finding great clothing at the thrift store, but all of my previous visits to the bag section yielded worn-out, torn, stained, or just blah purses. This will comfortably hold several books (I just tossed in a paperback copy of Graham Salisbury's "Eyes of the Emperor" and a hardback of "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai) and probably even a composition notebook. It will even make a great informal camera bag. Mom likes this bag so much, I think we'll take turns using it. 
    Mustard is still a color I'm hesitant about, but I do like how the necklace picks up the mustard in the bag pattern.