Appropriated Edge

I’m in a bind. I’ve been faffing about trying to decide what to wear for far too long and I’m late. Now my fairy godmother’s arrived and she’s the kind of bad witch they burned at the stake back in the day. She dresses Grace Jones, Bjork and Roisin Murphy. She thinks Tilda Swinton is a bit tame and Solange should get out of her comfort zone. She doesn’t exactly do Red Carpet.

I really wanted some Comme de Garçons but she nixed that, said it was daywear and gave me this Alexander McQueen corset instead. I put it on and no kidding, it was like being trussed up like a turkey. I couldn’t sit down. 

Then she pulled out this vintage Margiela cape made from human hair. No, it’ll freak people out I told her, this is YLF not some Japanese horror movie, and anyway what if it catches on the furniture?

Next she showed me something by an up and coming Korean designer but it wasn’t even a dress. I said it wasn’t that kind of party and if I wore that everyone would be too embarrassed to speak to me. 

Then she found this one dress from Iris van Herpen. It might work, but I think it looks like a poofy snowflake and I told her so. Fine, she said, then it’s perfect. That’s exactly what you are.

So I'm off to Morocco for a couple of weeks as of tomorrow and I haven't been as good about planning my packing as I'd like to be. It's not a major disaster, but I'm taking some risks and I have the feeling I'm carrying too much. Also, the colour palette is all over the map.

The capsule involves a few decisions which take me somewhat out of my comfort zone, but this is my first trip to North Africa and I'd like to be dressed for both the climate and the culture. 

What do you guys think? Am I carrying too much for two weeks? Or have I forgotten something?

Controversial outfit move:
Dresses layered over pants and t-shirts. It's versatile and it fits with the local mores (I like a good pun, me) but it does involve more pieces than I would usually pack. 

5 dresses:
Wax print sack dress, red/navy
White shirt dress, long sleeved
White shirt dress, sleeveless
Draped tunic, blue/grey
T-dress, black w/metallic print

5 pairs pants:
Hiking pants, grey
Skinny chinos, navy
Track pants, navy
Wide leg lounge pants, black
Silk pyjamas, yellow floral

9 T-shirts
2 plain white
2 plain black
4 long sleeved 
1 woollen base layer

3 pairs shoes:
Lightweight (sort-of) desert boots
Sneakers
Sandals
Controversial footwear move:
Sandals are a very old pair of fancy Birkenstocks, which will be worn with statement socks. I think I can get away with it and I can't be doing with blisters. Or I could nix this and sub in an extra pair of sneakers.

Outerwear
Lightweight performance jacket, aqua
Quilted lightweight down jacket, chartreuse
Lightweight bomber, black.
I'm wondering if I need a lightweight fleece or hoodie here as well?

Accessories:
3 shawls
2 headscarves
2 baseball caps
Beanie
Sunglasses
I'll be experimenting with different head coverings during the trip. I'm no stranger to hats, but it's been a while since I tried a head wrap and I doubt if I'll graduate to a hijab. Will have to see how it goes.

Hi Fabulous!

I'm off to do a presentation to an audience of academics this afternoon. I know a couple of them and by and large they are fairly casual, so I think more or less anything goes but I'd still like to make a positive impression.

Here's what I'm wearing, but I can't decide on the shoes. The first pair feel very grounded and perhaps more appropriate to the audience. The second make me feel confident and maybe work better with the outfit. I'd be differently comfortable in either of them, so now it's up to you.

(And you can't see in the photo, but the skirt is a kind of cobwebby lace.)

Which do you prefer? Halp!

So my much loved mid-price creepers have finally bitten the dust. These are an essential component of my look and have been one of my most worn pairs of shoes in recent years. 

I want to replace them with a pair of the premium English-made variety by George Cox, which means I have to buy from a supplier in London. However, English shoes aren't cheap and the Euro is low against the pound right now. 

I've made a few other investments in wardrobe lately. I've been sticking mostly to my wish list and objectives but it's been an expensive year. It all feels a bit extravagant.

I have a few options:
- Suck it up, part with the cash and commit myself to a shopping fast for a few months;
- Wait it out and see if the Euro goes back up (they still won't be cheap but I might save a few euros);
- Buy another pair in the mid-price range (nice enough, mediocre quality by comparison);
- Try to work around the space they leave in my wardrobe and see what else comes up in the meantime.

But just look at that full grain leather and stitching detail! I'm pondering Sam Vimes' 'Boots' theory and thinking I should go the extra mile. What do you ladies think?