Sometimes the simplest outfits bring the greatest satisfation.
This past weekend was "Rhinebeck Weekend". It was the weekend of the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival and I was up at the fairgrounds both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday I also went to the Farmer's Market and considering the amount of traffic, and that quite a few of the parking lots were closed due to excessive mud, I found parking near the fairgrounds in a moderately muddy, but still driveable field, and walked back to town for the produce before proceeding to the sheep fest.
Obviously, practicality and functionality were a consideration. Of course I wore boots. Specifically I wore my Frye Harness boots, my go-to boots when a lot of standing, walking and possibly questionable terrain are involved. This is actually my Sunday outfit. Sunday was the warmer day, with mixed sun and clouds and this outfit offered just enough warmth without being stiffling inside crowded barns.
Although this outfit isn't particularly stylish and is in fact probably pretty boring, I felt fabulous wearing it. I felt completely comfortable in my skin, appropriate, and even chic, if chic can be defined as a state of mind, whether I was at the farmer's market, walking throgh town, at the fairgrounds, or out with G in the afternoon perusing old master drawings at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center.
With the boots I am wearing a pair of Agave Paraiso straight leg jeans in a medium wash, which had the pefect "feel" and weight, both physical and metaphysical. The lightweight plaid shirt is cotton batiste, purchased at Eddie Bauer last year. But it is the outer top that may be my favorite "new" piece this year. New is in quotes because it is really old. This is one of many sweet things I found in a box of old clothes that fit me before I gained so much weight, clothes that are all at least 7 or 8 years old and some even older. Surprisingly, I did a good job of editing that box, because not only do they fit they are styles I will happily wear.
But back to the black top. It is a pleated lightweight woven fabric (polyester and wool) by Issey Miyake that G gave me. I don't think I wore it much. I never wore much black (the exception being the past few years) and I couldn't quite figure out how to wear it in a way I liked. It does strike me as funny that now that I have decided to gradually eliminate most black from my wardrobe, I find an old black piece that I adore and will wear. I'm not eliminating pieces I love now that happen to be black though, I am just not buying black, so this still fits into the general plan.
Even though the two collars were at odds throughout most of the day, I loved the shirts together. I love the idea of wearing the Miyake piece as a layering piece, something that never occurred to me 8 years ago. I see now that this piece was just waiting, patiently, to be rediscovered.
This post is a part of Visible Monday.
