Spring

Stripes and other trends for spring and summer

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logoMy oldest son was born on February 21st. That was back in the day when they kept you in the hospital for a full week following a c-section. Though 37 years have come and gone, I clearly remember entering the hospital in the depths of an Alberta winter and coming out a week later into what felt like the beginnings of spring. Of course, we saw more of winter before it finally relinquished it’s icy grip, but ever since that year, as the end of February approaches, I begin to think that spring must be on its way.

What does that have to do with fashion, you ask? It will be awhile before those of us living this far north can begin switching over to our warm weather wardrobes, but it’s time to start thinking about the trends. What’s new for spring and summer 2017?

My favourite trend for the coming season is stripes! Stripes were all over the spring and summer catwalks in every form you could imagine. Horizontal, vertical and diagonal stripes; stripes of all colours and sizes; broad bands of colour and skinny hypnotic stripes. There were striped t-shirts, striped pants, striped dresses, striped swimsuits, even handbags and shoes with stripes. Stripes everywhere!

There’s nothing really new about stripes which is one of the reasons that I’m happy about the trend. I already have a couple of classic striped tees in my closet as well as my Ernest Tee from cabi and the striped swimsuit that I bought last summer. I don’t even have to go shopping to be on trend!

If stripes aren’t your thing, what are some of the other trends for spring and summer that you might find more to your liking? Apparently pink is the colour this season, especially shocking pink and shades of fuchsia, but bubblegum pink is also trending. Sadly, there’s only one pink item hanging in my closet right now, a t-shirt that’s past its best and only good for wearing around the house or to exercise in. Come to think of it, there’s also a bright pink sleeveless golf shirt and cap waiting for the snow on the golf course to melt, but perhaps another basic t-shirt like this one would be a good addition to my wardrobe. After all, it would kill two fashion birds with one stone.

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Apparently shoulder grazing statement earrings are also going to be big this spring and summer. Though I don’t have any that are quite that dramatic, I might have to go through my earring collection and pull out a few dangly pairs that I haven’t worn in quite awhile.

Speaking of shoulders, apparently shoulder pads are also coming back this season. Romantic ruffles will also be popular and so will t-shirts bearing slogans, particularly of the feminist variety.

Do any of these trends appeal to you? Which ones will you be adding to your shopping list?

Spring is in the air!

/ edebock / 6 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3Spring is coming to the Canadian prairie. The geese are back, the gophers have come out of hibernation and there are tiny sprouts appearing in my flower beds. Soon it will be time to put away our winter wardrobes and bring out spring and summer clothing. This is also a good time to take a look at what to keep for another season and what to dispose of, but how do we decide?

One suggestion that has worked well for me is to turn every hanger in your closet backwards at the beginning of each new season. Then, as you wear each item, turn it’s hanger back the right way. At season’s end, it’s easy to see which items, if any, have not been worn at all. Those should, of course, be the first to go. If you happen to live in a part of the world that doesn’t experience seasonal change, you could simply do this once every six months or even just once a year.

The next question is what to do with the items that you’ll no longer be wearing. Unless they are too worn to be of use to someone else, they can be sold or given away. Gently used, quality clothing and designer fashions can be sold through consignment stores that keep a percentage of the sale price in return for their services. In addition, there are many online buy and sell sites available. You can most likely find one or more of these in your local area. There are also thrift stores, women’s shelters and other charities that are happy to accept clean used clothing.

Before you get rid of a piece of clothing that you haven’t worn recently, you might want to consider whether or not it’s a classic item; one that won’t quickly go out of style that you might want to reintroduce into your wardrobe at some point in the future. The single breasted grey blazer pictured below is such an item. Until recently, it hadn’t been out of my closet since I retired from teaching several years ago. Now, it’s almost like having something new again!

The end of the season, before clothing is put away, is also a good time to check for minor repairs that might be needed. Are there any loose buttons that need to be secured or hems that are coming down? Make sure everything is clean before putting it away. This is a good time to have dry cleaning done so that everything is ready to wear when you take it out of storage again.

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My dark wash Old Navy jeans are new, but the blouse, originally from Reitmans, and the belt were purchased at the Good As New, our small town thrift store.

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At 5 foot 8 inches, I’m about 2 inches taller than my husband. Although he says he doesn’t mind me wearing heels, I feel more comfortable in flats. This pair was purchased at Payless last October using my birthday discount.

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I like the versatility of wearing something more than one way. My question for you today is, do you prefer these looks belted or not?

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 It snowed again after these photos were taken, so it’s a good thing that I haven’t put my winter clothes away yet. It won’t be long though. Spring is in the air!

First day of spring

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According to the calendar, today is the first day of spring, but looking out the window I see a grey, gloomy Eeyore sort of day.

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Yes, though it seemed for a little while that spring had come, this morning we woke up to snow again! The geese are back, the pussy willows are in bloom, Jami-Lee and her little friends found dozens of ladybugs at the playground in Calgary last week, and I’ve heard that the gophers have been out and about. I suspect that they’re huddling deep in their holes this morning though.

The best thing about snow in March is that it isn’t likely to stay very long and it will provide much needed moisture for the fields. Unlike the eastern part of the continent, we didn’t get as much snow as usual this winter.

I’m not a fan of winter and I’d love it if the first day of spring really was spring-like, but like Eeyore, I’ll try to look on the bright side. I’ve been receiving regular updates from a missionary couple living in Vanuatu, the remote cluster of tiny south Pacific islands that was blasted by Tropical Cyclone Pam late last week. It has been called the worst storm to ever hit the Pacific region and the devastation is beyond imagination. More than half of Vanuatu’s buildings have been badly damaged, many having their roofs blown off, and up to a third of the country’s 266,000 people have been left homeless. What’s a little spring snow compared to that? I dare not complain!

One of our Vanuatu churches

One of our Vanuatu churches

photo credit

City of Springs

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Our day began a few blocks from our hotel at Baotu Spring Park, Jinan’s most popular tourist site. "Spring" refers to the fact that the park is home to many of the 72 famous springs that are located in Jinan’s downtown district but today it could also have referred to the season and the new leaves on the the willows that overhang the many pools and the moat.

After wandering the crowded park for most of the morning, we rested our feet for almost two hours as we enjoyed a boat trip around the moat and across Daming Lake at the north end of the downtown district.

After a late lunch, we spent the remainder of the afternoon strolling along the moat and watching the crowds of holidayers enjoying their day in the sun. People here obviously don’t see very many foreigners. Everywhere we went, heads swivelled to take a second look and people pointed us out to their companions. Though few of them speak any English the word "foreigner" seems to be part of their vocabulary as we heard it often! Children seemed to be particularly startled by our strange appearance but in general, everyone seemed happy that we were out doing what they were doing, enjoying a beautiful day in a beautiful place.

One of the challenges to being in a foreign country where you don’t understand the language can be finding food. Though there are a proliferation of tiny restaurants within a few blocks of our apartment in Dalian, when it came to finding supper tonight, we couldn’t figure out where all these people ate! Though there are McDonalds and KFCs all over the place, we wanted something a little more nourishing and authentic. After a somewhat frustrating search, we found a delicious meal at a crowded and noisy food court just off the sprawling central square which I’ve also seen referred to as the livingroom of Jinan.

As "senior citizens", over the age of 60, we were able to enter Baoto Spring Park free of charge this morning, saving approximately $6.50 each! Although I laughed about being referred to as a senior citizen at the time, after being on my feet in the hot sunshine for most of the day, I feel a bit more like one this evening!

Springtime in Alberta

/ edebock / 15 Comments

I’m suffering from severe envy. The day before yesterday was, of course, officially the first day of spring. Over the past few days, I’ve read several blogs celebrating the joys of the season each one complete with gorgeous pictures of flowers and trees in bloom.

Though I’ve never been to the Netherlands, I immediately think of tulips when I think of that country so it was no surprise to me when many of Malou’s colourful blooms were of that variety. She’s the writer of Going Dutch and a fabulous photographer. Caroline writes From a Tuscan Villa but her beautiful pictures of plum trees and magnolias in bloom reminded me of springtime in Japan. Even Maggie in Ontario has been posting gorgeous pictures of spring flowers on her blog, Living Life in Glorious Colour.

Why am I so jealous? Well, see for yourself. Here’s springtime in Alberta… our second snowstorm this week!

Very little colour here! This isn’t unusual for March in Alberta but is it any wonder that I’m dreaming of flowers and envying those who are already enjoying them?

Unlike the dry, powdery snow of winter, this time of year brings wet, sloppy snow heavy with much needed moisture. After a winter with very little snow, the farmers are happy to see it but I’d much rather it came as rain. Bring on those April showers please! And with them, a few flowers would be nice!