Fashion Friday!

Fashion Revolution Week

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Logo by SamFashion Revolution is a not-for-profit global movement that was founded by British fashion designers Orsola de Castro and Carry Somers following the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh on April 24, 2013 that killed 1,134 people and injured another 2,500. Fashion Revolution campaigns for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry; one that that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit. Over the past ten years, it has grown to become the world’s largest fashion activism movement, mobilizing citizens, brands and policymakers through research, education and advocacy. Every year, they organize Fashion Revolution Week in April, but this year’s campaign is marking a decade of active campaigning with ten days of action running from April 15 to 24.

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I don’t consider myself a fashion activist, but I do believe that everyone has a part to play in building a fashion industry that puts people and the planet first. Until our our clothing is made in safe, clean, and fair ways, we’re all part of the problem.

Those of us who live in North America have little choice but to buy clothes that are produced overseas and it’s virtually impossible to find out whether they are made in sweatshops where workers are exploited and forced to work in unsafe conditions or manufactured in socially and environmentally responsible factories. So, what can we do? How can we be part of the solution instead of the problem?

Overconsumption has become a huge problem. Apparently, the number of clothes that the average consumer purchased between 2000 and 2014 increased by 60 percent and those clothes tended to kept about only half as long as in the past. Individually, we can do our part by buying less and choosing quality over quantity. After all, how much do we really need hanging in our closets? At least one of the fashion bloggers that I follow has committed to The Rule of 5, planning to buying no more than five new fashion items this year. She’s decided to explore second-hand shopping which, as you know, is one of my favourite ways to add to my wardrobe.

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Another way that we can take action is to extend the life of our clothing by learning to mend, repair, and upcycle. In cities around the world Fashion Revolution activists are planning to come together in public spaces tomorrow to work on personal mending projects while drawing attention to the goals of the movement. That reminds me that I still have two pieces set aside from my recent closet cull waiting for some simple upcycling. Though I won’t be doing it in a public place, perhaps that should be my Fashion Revolution Week project.

What I packed for the conference

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Logo by SamLast weekend, I had the privilege of attending and participating in a three day Canadian Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (CNETS) conference in Montreal. Prior to going, I thought a lot about what to pack. Retired for more than a decade, I no longer have a professional wardrobe and I certainly wasn’t going to go shopping for clothes that I likely wouldn’t use again. Since most of my wardrobe is what I would categorize as classy casual, I shopped my closet and carefully chose outfits for each day. Most, if not all of the clothes have appeared on the blog before.

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I left my photographer at home, so I had to resort to taking selfies using the full length mirror that was tucked into the corner of my lovely room in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel in downtown Montreal. I clearly should have taken all the photos after dark when the lighting worked better for photography, but I’ve done my best to manipulate the remaining photos so that you can see what I wore.

For traveling, I like to be warm and comfy, so I chose my new striped sweater, jeans, and a very comfortable pair of white sneakers. My plane was delayed for four hours by a nasty snowstorm, so it was cold, wet, and very blustery when I finally arrived in Montreal. My bright red Calvin Klein jacket served me well and while you can’t see it hidden behind my coat, I carried my favourite travel purse which is very lightweight and large enough to carry any extras that I might need while traveling or exploring.

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Day 1 was a learning and working day for a small group of us from across the country who are part of a newly formed CNETS Advocacy Advisory Board. While we had already met online several times, this was our first face to face get together.

The colours in the photo above are particularly bad, so I recreated my outfit below to give you a better look. I wore a semi dressy pair of navy pinstriped pants, one of the few items in my wardrobe that are left over from my teaching days. Now that wide legs are on trend again, they’re back in style! A sleeveless cabi top and a cardigan, also from cabi, completed the outfit. I was especially glad that I’d chosen to wear the cardigan, a workhorse in my wardrobe, as our meeting room was quite chilly, especially first thing in the morning. I’m also glad that sneakers go with anything these days!

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Day 2 was a medical and scientific meeting. With the exception of those of us on the advocacy board who were asked to attend, this was a day for medical professionals who care for neuroendocrine patients. It took place last Saturday, so I wondered if the participants would dress professionally or, since it was a day off for them, would they dress more casually? Not having an answer to this question in advance, I wondered how I should dress.

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Again, limited by what’s in my closet as well as my desire to be comfortable while sitting for many hours trying to absorb the information that was being presented, I chose carefully. I wore dark brown corduroy pants, the sleeveless animal print top that I recently featured here, and the same cardigan as the day before. As you can see, I did fit a second pair of shoes into my tiny suitcase. While most of the participants were dressed quite professionally, I didn’t feel out of place in this outfit.

Day 3 was a national patient conference available both in-person and online. For that day, I simply added a necklace to my travel outfit. It’s mostly hidden behind my phone in the photo!

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In addition to what I’ve shown you here, another important item in my suitcase was my swimsuit. I seldom travel without one. After long days soaking up information about everything from how treatments and medications are approved and why it takes so long for them to go from being developed to becoming accessible to patients to disparities in cancer care to new developments in research to NET cancer pathology and treatment, my brain was on overload and I much appreciated the opportunity to unwind in the hotel hot tub and sauna on two of the evenings while I was there.

I would definitely give myself a high mark for packing on this trip. Everything I needed fit easily into my teeny tiny carry-on and I felt completely at ease in everything I wore. Definitely a win!

More stripes for spring

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Logo by SamWhen I was young, we were told that wearing horizontal stripes would make us look fat, while vertical stripes would make us look taller and thinner. It turns out that that fashion advice was totally wrong. According the the Helmholtz illusion, horizontal stripes won’t make you look fatter. In fact, they may even make you look thinner!

Regardless of whether they make me look fatter or thinner, I have always liked horizontal stripes. While I specifically went into Reitmans looking for the sweater that I showed you last week, this top was on sale and I decided to buy it too.

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I was intrigued by the stretchy ribbed knit fabric. Very soft and lightweight, it’s made of “EcoCozy” biodegradable fibres which are apparently made from certified sustainable wood pulp from sustainably-managed and renewable plantations. I think it will be especially good for this transition season. Our days are not truly warm yet, but no longer freezing cold. I probably could have gone down one size, but I wanted it to be body skimming as opposed to clingy.

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The pop of red is a nice addition to my wardrobe and the very light cream looks much better on me than pure white would. The top can easily be dressed up or down depending on what I choose as a third piece. Here I’m wearing it under my faded denim shirt from Uniqlo, but it could also be worn with a jean jacket, a dressier sweater or a blazer. 

It sure was nice to be able to take this week’s photos outdoors even if there were still patches of snow lying around!

Stripes for spring

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First of all, a very big thank you for all your kind responses to last Friday’s post on here, on Facebook, and on Pam Lutrell’s blog, Over 50 Feeling 40. I especially appreciate those who promised to pray for me! The medical oncology team discussed my case earlier this week and I now have an appointment on April 17 with a doctor that I haven’t met before to discuss their recommendations and make decisions about further treatment. I will keep you posted.

And now, on to fashion!

LogoStripes are a forever classic that never really go out of style, but they’re everywhere this season. Horizontal, vertical, pin stripe; on shirts, dresses, sweaters, pants, and even accessories, stripes are the print of the season. Bold, high-visibility stripes, often in eye-catching colours, are especially on trend.

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Ads for this long-sleeve crew-neck sweater from Reitmans kept popping up on my Facebook feed, but I seldom shop for clothes online. I prefer to see things in person, feel the fabric, and try things on. I also like to support brick and mortar stores that provide employment and I detest the fact that more than 25% of all returns end up in the garbage! The ads caught my attention though and I was tempted, but I waited until we went into the city for my recent treatment and shopped in person instead. I’m glad I did as the sweater fits a bit large and I probably would have ordered the wrong size.

(Please ignore my hair in the photos! I’m way overdue for a cut, but my hairdresser has been sick.)

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I love the relaxed fit, the length, and the soft, cozy knit. While the sweater is also available in a true white, Reitmans calls the light oatmeal colour of mine Heather Latte, an off-white that works well with my complexion. Here, I’m wearing the sweater with jeans, but it would pair well with leggings and I’ve also worn it with black pants for a dressier look.

I also came home with a second striped top, but I’ll save that one for another post, maybe next week.

Clothe me in peace, hope, and inner strength

/ edebock / 29 Comments

This will not be a fashion post in the traditional sense. I won’t be showing you an outfit today or giving any style advice. I’ve held off on writing an update about my health since undergoing the TheraSphere treatment on my liver on March 11 because I needed time to wrestle with what’s been happening. Time to figure out how to “wear” the latest news.

The treatment itself went very well. I was in and out of the hospital in approximately eight hours and walked away feeling pretty good. A CT scan following the treatment showed that the vast majority of the radioactive microspheres that were injected during the treatment had been deposited on target at the site of the largest tumour on my liver while a minimal amount had reached a second smaller tumour and surrounding tissue. This was exactly what was hoped for. 

Had that been all that the scan showed, I would have weathered the post treatment fatigue and mild nausea with ease, but unfortunately, it also showed a nodule elsewhere in my abdomen that has grown significantly since a previous scan five months ago. That raises concerns that the cancer has spread. Knowing the importance of being proactive and advocating for myself, I contacted my specialist’s office as soon as I read the scan report and was able to have a phone consult with her earlier this week. She is going to refer my case to the medical oncology team asking them to review my file and make recommendations. 

So how do I deal with all of this? 

I feel a bit like I did at the beginning of this journey over 10 years ago. Once again, I’m facing a huge unknown. At that time, I prayed for strength to walk this pathway with grace and I continue to ask for that. In my morning prayer time this week, I’ve been meditating on a snippet of scripture from 2 Peter 2:19. “… a man is slave to whatever has mastered him.” Whatever happens, I do not want to become a slave to fear! 

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You may remember that my one word for 2024 is hope. This beautiful graphic, which I found on Rare Disease Day, perfectly combines my word with the zebra ribbon representing rare diseases and more specifically, neuroendocrine cancer (NETS) which, though no longer considered rare, is definitely not well-known. Though the pathway may become rough, I am not giving up hope!  

Clothe me in peace, hope, and inner strength.

Let that be my style! 

Please help me decide

/ edebock / 22 Comments

Logo by SamWhen I wrote last week’s post, I had almost finished deciding what to do with the 14 items from my everyday closet that hadn’t been worn since I did my seasonal closet switch at the end of September. I’d returned several to my closet and started wearing them, started a donate pile, and set aside a couple of pieces to be upcycled. That left me with just two tops that I was undecided about. Once I realized that I had something very similar to one of them in the closet, that it fit me better, and that I actually preferred it, adding that one to the donate pile was a no brainer. That left me with just one last piece to deal with and I thought it might be fun to ask you to help me decide.

Keep or donate, that is the question!

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This is the Timeless Blouse from cabi’s Fall 2020 collection. There are several things that I really like about it. The midnight blue colour is versatile and flattering to my complexion. I like the neckline, the fit is perfect and I love the silky fabric.

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It’s only the puffy, pleated sleeves that are a bit outside my comfort zone and have made me somewhat reluctant to wear this blouse. They remind me of pictures of medieval dresses.

Images: Etsy

So, what is the verdict? Do you think I should keep this blouse or add it to the donate pile?

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The closet cull

/ edebock / 3 Comments

Logo by SamThis is a follow-up to last Friday’s post in which I lamented the fact that I was feeling uninspired by my winter wardrobe and decided to do something about that by dealing with items in my closet that hadn’t been worn all season. 

First of all, I should explain that because the closet in our master bedroom is not large, I have clothing stored in more than once place. My half of the bedroom closet is what I would call my everyday closet. That’s where I pull clothes from most mornings when I get dressed. What was actually meant to be a coat closet at our front entrance, an entrance that we rarely use, is where I hang dresses, skirts, dress pants, and a couple of dressy tops that I would only wear for special occasions. The clothes in that closet stay there year round. It was the everyday closet that I had in mind when I decided to do this midseason cull, but now that I’ve started, I think I’ll push on and delve into the other one as well. Today’s post will deal only with the everyday closet though. 

My first step was to pull out the 14 items that had not been worn since I did my seasonal closet switch at the end of September. Fourteen items that had simply been taking up space. Two were pieces that probably should have gone into storage when I put my spring/summer clothes away, so since I’m pretty sure that I’ll wear them both again when the weather warms up, I moved them into storage. I hung the remaining 12 items in the empty guest room closet where I could look at them more easily and decide what to do with them. I knew right away that I wouldn’t wear 3 of them again, so those were set aside to be donated. After careful consideration, 5 were returned to my everyday closet and I’ve already worn 4 of those in the past week! That left 4 pieces. After trying them on, 2 have been set aside for some simple upcycling. Perhaps I’ll share those projects with you in a later post. That leaves me with just 2 pieces that I’m still undecided about. 

While I continue to ponder those two pieces, let me share three of the items that I decided to keep and how I styled them this week. 

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This cozy grey cardigan that had been hanging near the back of my closet all winter felt just right on a cold morning. I wore it over a column of navy made up of a basic t-shirt from Uniqlo and a pair of Old Navy jeans. I tucked the t-shirt in and added a belt. That bit of belt showing under an open cardigan or jacket creates the illusion of a more feminine waist for someone with a boyish figure like mine. Finally, I added a pop of colour with my red ankle boots. I wore this outfit while providing childcare at our church during a young Mom’s Bible study and then for a casual lunch date with hubby.

The black t-shirt, also from Uniqlo, and the animal print shirt are two of the other items that I hadn’t worn all winter. I don’t usually wear black close to my face because it makes me look washed out, but it can work well as a base layer under a colour that complements my complexion. For church on Sunday, I wore the t-shirt and my dark brown button front cords with a dressier jacket. Afterward, for a relaxing afternoon at home, I changed out of the jacket and into the shirt which has been in my wardrobe for many years. Later, when hubby suggested that we go out for dinner, I thought about putting the jacket back on, but decided not to. 

Now… back to deciding what to do with those last two items! 

Farewell to a fashion icon

/ edebock / 5 Comments

I usually only post about fashion on Fridays, but I didn’t want to wait a whole week to acknowledge yesterday’s passing of one of fashion’s most colourful personalities. 

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American fashion icon, Iris Apfel, famous for her eclectic style and her oversized glasses, was 102 years old! Born on August 29, 1921, Apfel was renowned for her irreverent, eye catching outfits mixing high end fashion with flea market finds and oversized costume jewelry and always, those big, round, black-rimmed glasses! 

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Apfel was an interior designer and an expert on textiles and antique fabrics. She and her husband, Carl, who passed away in 2015 at age 100, owned the textile manufacturing company, Old World Weavers, and specialized in restoration. Their work included projects at the White House under six different American presidents. 

In 2005, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City hosted an exhibition about Apfel called Rara Avis, Latin for “rare bird”, and that she most certainly was! The museum described her this way, “An American original in the truest sense, Iris Apfel is one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design, and over the past 40 years, she has cultivated a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic.”

Apfel never stopped working. She modelled for Vogue in 2018, the same year Mattel made a silver-haired Barbie in her name. The following year, at age 97, she landed a modelling contract with IMG Models. “I’m a total workaholic, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be a cover girl in my nineties,” she told The Times of London, but cover girl she was several times over. At age 99, she curated a line of home products for Lowe’s and partnered with Zenni Optical to offer frames in her favourite eyewear shapes and styles. She also teamed up with Etsy to offer “Iris Apfel’s Fashion Favorites” on the online marketplace.

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Here are just a few of the words of wisdom that Iris Apfel offered about fashion and style…

“Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There’s no how-to road map to style. It’s about self expression and, above all, attitude.”

“Everybody should find her own way. I’m a great one for individuality. I don’t like trends. If you get to learn who you are and what you look like and what you can handle, you’ll know what to do.”

“People should try to personalize their own outfits. It gives them a chance to be a bit creative and then they don’t look like everyone else. I think the biggest fashion faux pas these days is looking into the mirror and seeing somebody else. It doesn’t work. You’ve got to know who you are.”

“I say dress to please yourself. Listen to your inner muse and take a chance. Wear something that says: “Here I am!” today.”

“I’m not pretty, and I’ll never be pretty, but it doesn’t matter. I have something much better. I have style.” 

Yes, Iris, you most certainly did! 

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Feeling uninspired

/ edebock / 7 Comments

Logo by SamHere on the Canadian prairie, I’ve been wearing my winter clothes for the past five months and as I look out the window at the big dump of snow that fell earlier this week, I know that I’ll probably be wearing them for quite a lot longer. Perhaps it’s the fact that the days are getting longer and we’re all beginning to yearn for spring, but at this time of year I become bored with my winter wardrobe. Staring into my closet each morning and trying to decide what to wear, I find myself feeling very uninspired.

So what am I going to do about that? I tried picking up a couple of new-to-me pieces at one of our local thrift stores in an attempt to add a bit of variety to my late winter wardrobe, but that didn’t do the job. One is a basic t-shirt that will probably show up on the blog at some point in the future. It fits into my wardrobe well and can be worn year round, but I wouldn’t exactly call it inspiring. I had thought about showing you the other item today, but when I wore it earlier this week, I still felt blah.

So, here’s what else I’m going to do. I’m going to take a deep dive into my closet with two goals in mind. First, I’m going to pull out anything that hasn’t been worn this season. That’s easy to do because at the beginning of each new season, I turn all the hangers backwards. Once I wear an item, I turn the hanger around. Anything that’s on a hanger that is still backward hasn’t been worn since I switched over to my winter wardrobe at the end of September. I’m going to take a close look at each of those items and ask myself why it is that I haven’t been wearing it. Then I’m going to either wear it or set it aside to be donated.

Once I’ve completed that midseason cull, I’m going to spend some time trying to figure out new ways to wear what’s left in my closet. It’s so easy to reach for the same old, same old over and over again, but that just leads to boredom. Hopefully I’ll come up with some new outfit combinations that help me feel a bit more inspired about getting dressed and if I’m successful, I’ll share some of those with you on the blog.

In my search for inspiration, I’ve also been checking out Merrick’s Art, especially her 4 Ways to Wear It blog posts and her videos on Instagram. You might want to check her out too.

Embracing the blues

/ edebock / 12 Comments

Logo by SamNo, I’m not talking about a music genre or even that melancholy feeling that sometimes overtakes us. In fact, I can’t help wondering why a beautiful, soothing colour like blue is associated with sadness, but here I go waxing on about words again instead of the topic of today’s post which is the many shades of blue that are said to be on trend for spring and summer 2024.

As a child, I wore a lot of blue. Whenever my mother, my aunt, or my grandmother bought clothing for my sister and I, they gave us the same thing, but hers was always pink and mine was blue. That was okay with me. I preferred blue and I still gravitate toward it today. The fact that there’s still a lot of blue in my wardrobe definitely bodes well for the coming season.

An icy powder blue was one of the colours that dominated this season’s runways. It was shown in everything from sweaters and coats to lighter gauzier garments as well as accessories. If you’re looking to add a pop of colour to your wardrobe this spring, pastel blue would be an easy, versatile choice that isn’t too bold or overbearing.

In between working on this post, I was scrolling Facebook when an ad for this handbag popped up, a perfect example of this season’s most popular blue.  

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While pale blue was the most popular, many other shades of blue were also evident on the spring/summer runways. Chambray blue is a soft grey blue that has the look of well-worn or light wash denim and is great for a casual look.

Bright, clear cobalt blue is a bolder look, but because it’s neither warm nor cool, it’s a universal colour that looks good on everyone and works well with almost every other colour.

Of course, once you look at one ad on Facebook, others begin to pop up, so here’s a lovely tunic in cobalt. Just so you know, I’m not an ambassador for Cleo, nor do I receive any compensation if you purchase from them, but they are one of my favourite Canadian fashion retailers.

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Midnight blue or “almost navy” is another popular choice for this season. Darker than the traditional navy, midnight blue is generally considered the darkest shade of blue and can almost be mistaken for black. Projecting sophistication and elegance, midnight blue, like black, conveys formality. It would be a great choice for those of us with warm skin tones who don’t look good in black.

Blue doesn’t always represent sadness. The colour of the ocean and the sky, it often symbolizes serenity and tranquility and is thought to have a calming effect. Perhaps that’s why it’s commonly used for hospital gowns. I’ll be wearing one of those on March 11 when I finally undergo my radioembolization treatment, so hopefully it helps give me a feeling of peace!