I spent some time late this afternoon on my front deck, legs stretched out in front of the teak bench where I sat in the sun for a couple of hours.
Newest paperback open to page 148.
Tall skinny vanilla latte in hand.
Slight breeze scattered the first falling leaves on some of my many maples and tousled my new bob but I didn’t care. Stayed around until the last of the sun’s rays were trying to warm the inevitable chill that befalls these last days of September.
Even with the chill, I was quite comfortable. A blend of layers from my cotton turtleneck to a new pink and grey cardigan from Baciano had me wrapped in warmth.
Couldn’t pull myself away from the slight smoke-filled autumn evening and watch as the sunset decided to flirt with the last remnants of the day. Magnificent!!
While Lagerfeld spoke that opinion many decades ago, back in the 1990s, Jerry Seinfeld echoed Lagerfeld’s lament, advising his friend George Costanza, “You know the message you’re sending out to the world with these sweatpants? You’re telling the world, ‘I give up. I can’t compete in normal society. I’m miserable, so I might as well be comfortable.’”
And I’m in the here and now and ready to disagree with both of them.
Then Again: We could give it a great big shout out and “style” our favorite sweatpants for more than just comfort. If I can do it, anybody can. I got brave today and put together an outfit around my newest sweats from Sound Styles and we have lots to choose from. I kept an appointment and got many compliments on my fashion choice for this beautiful Autumn Monday. Now mind you, this was daring for me, as I’ve never been one to go out in public in my sweatpants. But I took a few of the suggestions that I’m about to offer to you as to how to style a pair and just went for it.
Picture First:
Choose sweatpants that are fitted rather than baggy: If you’re looking to dress up your look, the fit of your sweats can make a huge difference. Baggy sweats may be cozy, but they can be more difficult to dress up. This could be as simple as choosing a size that is smaller than what you normally wear. Sweats are already easy to wear so look for ones that are more slimming to the body.
Pair them with a trendy coat or blazeror patterned sweater or a plaid button down shirt: Instead of reaching for a sweatshirt when heading outside, wear your sweatpants with a blazer or coat that will immediately make them look more put together. Think of all those pretty sweaters on the shelf or those button down blouses hanging on the rod. The coat or blazer or sweater or shirt will give the sweats a more dressed-up feel than a sweatshirt might.
Dress up the shoe: Yes a sneaker is cute and always appropriate. But consider a sueded ankle boot or a velvet moccasin or even a low-heeled pump to give just a bit more sophistication to your new sweatpant “look.”
Add one “glamorous” piece: This to me would obviously be an accessory or maybe two or three accessories such as a fabulous handbag, dramatic sunglasses or dangly earrings or mysterious beret and always, always, always a wonderful, colorful scarf.
LAYERS! LAYERS! LAYERS! Simply said. . . it often comes down to all the layers we are assembling. They so easily add interest, warmth, texture, color to any outfit you are putting together.
As for me today, I wore my navy jogger sweats with a cowl neck tunic sweater in heather grey, added my favorite for the season, a plaid boyfriend cardigan sweater in navy and grey and just thought my favorite silver, chunky necklace set it off. It was fun to feel dressed up a bit in my sweatpants. My appointment was with the eye doctor and I picked out new glasses in a red tortoise that just complimented the whole outfit. Can’t wait to get those glasses.
Please come in and look at our selection of sweatpants from which to choose. Come with some new thoughts on how to wear them. Comfort is great but to be stylish at the same time you are comfortable is the the best of both.
GOOD GRIEF! Got so wrapped up styling our sweats that I forgot to tell you about the title of this post. Have you ever heard of Tracky Dack Day? On the last Friday in August, Australians ‘dack up and donate’ by wearing tracksuit pants (‘trackies’) and fundraising for sick kids. Everyone, including patients in the hospital, wear sweats on that day. Hmm! Maybe we could take a page from that book!! A holiday for sweats and a good cause!
And, metaphorically speaking, in this moment Sound Styles is a coat of many colors. Colors that sing and praise the gloriousness of the upcoming season. There is an amber nugget here and a garnet nugget there and one of citrine right over there and then there is the softness of smoky topaz scattered here and there and everywhere. We might as well have been plucked up by the proverbial tornado in the Wizard of Oz and plopped right into some quaint New England town. It’s pure bliss!
I love walking to work and opening the door to the visual that awaits me these days. How often did I hear today. . . “I love the colors”? Vibrant and arresting, they are colors that bring comfort and joy to the eye of so many who also adore the Autumn of the year.
Too many times to recall.
How many “gems” went home today with the happy faces of those who purchased a new sweater or coat or tee shirt in one of Autumn’s colors?
Too many times to count.
“I just love this shade of green,” Susan said when at the front desk.. “I can’t wait to wear my new sweater.” (One of our new sweaters from FOIL)
“Look at all the mustard yellow in the racks,” Molly said excitedly. Of course she meant the color not the condiment, as she grabbed several tops to try on. “Just love this color!”
“Brown is a favorite color of mine and I’ve been waiting too long to see it return,” Staci told me as she brought our new Karen Kane hooded sweater to the desk for purchase.
Okay! So I’m pushing the season a bit. Officially, Autumn isn’t even here yet but here I am pulling all the velvet pumpkins out of storage and decorating the dining room table with leaves and candles and those velvet pumpkins. Not to mention that Shelly is already hard at work on the Halloween scarecrow.
While I will miss the longer days of daylight, I will embrace the candlelight that compensates just a bit.
How am I doing? Have I colored within the lines of an Autumn day enough to entice you just a bit to want to see what’s new in the store? I thought of putting lots of pics in this post to illustrate but then thought again…. the mystery of what those “gems” of sweaters and coats and tops look like might entice you even more.
Then again! One more thought. How about this?
The only way my walk to work will get even better is when the actual real leaves start to change and tumble and paint the landscape with their color.
Here we have one of the many profound Sugar Boo quotes that Shelly has beautifully “flowered” the floor of our window with. Intrigued? Stop by and take a look!
AS FOR THE SWEATER. . .
Be still my heart! Where do I begin? Well. . . first off, it’s a sweater!! Who doesn’t love a sweater? After working nearly 16 years at Sound Styles, I can say without question that there are more beautiful sweaters in the store right now than at any other time I can remember. Certainly you have noticed that sweaters are soft on the skin and seem to hug us with comfort. But, have you ever noticed that they are also soft on the eyes of both the wearer and the beholder making us appear friendlier and more approachable. Not only do they keep you warm both inside and out but they, more than any other garment in our wardrobe, remind us of long ago special times. I still clearly see the sweater I was wearing on the Oregon Coast beach walk with my best friend holding one hand of my first born child and me the other.
Secondly, this particular sweater is brown or sienna (burnt that is) as the title of this post suggests. I’m thrilled to the brim that brown is out of the fashion exile that it has been in for what seemed forever. To me brown is the “comfort food” of color. While I don’t want to call it a baked potato, its resurrection deserves more than a dollop of sour cream. It’s a neutral that can give its competitors like black, navy and grey a run for their color “money.” I’ve read that there is a current appetite for minimalism, sustainability and natural beauty and brown is the epitome of all those.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO SUSTAINABILITY. . .
Rather a big word being bandied about a lot these days. And I think the quote above from Seattle’s namesake, Chief Sealth, embodies the essence of its meaning. To sustain means to nourish, not just the body of us but also the environment of us and in the end our planet earth. This means that not only do the designers and creators of fashion but also the consumers of fashion need to be aware of what contributes to our environment and what detracts from its “wellness.” We at Sound Styles are becoming more astute to the vendors that we carry and how they approach this philosophy and practice the art of being sustainable.
Karen Kane proudly embraced the concept and is using fabrics that practice what they preach and are having them made into beautiful garments right here in America. Masai from Copenhagen is proud of their viscose fabric that is grown with particular concern for the environment and leaves the planet in a better place. Glyder is one of our newest brands of active apparel and they vow: “we are in the process of researching and developing new fabrics made from recycled and organic materials, and plan to greatly expand our range of products made with these Earth-conscious practices.”
In the end, Chief Sealth, a hundred of wisdoms ago had it “right on.”
“Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”
Please ask us about what our vendors are doing to help nourish this planet earth. We are just beginning this journey but will do the best we can to become more and more aware and informed.
Wanna come play dress up with me? Remember. . . playing dress up means coloring outside of the dress-up box, right?
Don’t we all have a gold fedora and a black boa in our closet? Not to mention zebra boots and …. those fluttery, flirty false eyelashes.
Let’s dress up our new Liverpool cardigan and we’ll definitely find some place to go!!
Our Open Front Cardigan Sweater is an effortlessly chic layer so it can go with everything in your closet. Pairs well with denim and is perfect for transitional weather.
Didn’t we see you in that film last year, the one with you-know-who? We recall you climbing the stairs of Arnie’s in the opening scene all the while giving your companion a piece of your mind. In comes the zoom lens on that beautiful face in that stunning jacket.
Ah yes! After all, there can only be one leading lady and she’s definitely no ‘shy thing.’
If you haven’t already added a shacket to your wardrobe, tis the season.
For those not familiar with the term, a shacket is a slightly oversized shirt-jacket and is the absolute “chef’s kiss” for layering and is currently blowing up the fashion scene. What’s so great about it? Thicker than your average shirt, but thinner than a heavy winter coat, they are perfect for layering over fall sweaters or even under an overcoat. Buttoned up as a shirt or effortlessly undone as a jacket, they exude a seriously cool fashion look. The best part? They suit us all no matter what body type or fashion persona.
From Tribal this longline bold plaid shacket has someone’s name written all over it. The relaxed fit is ultra flattering when paired with leggings or skinny or straight cut jeans. Dress it up with a pencil skirt or a funky fuller skirt paired with your favorite fall handbag and boots and you’re ready to be the star!!
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