Retrospective

Written in September... 

It’s been awhile since I posted and there are lots of updates. Months of planning, boxing, cleaning, clearing and hoping paid off when we closed on our new home and moved in late July. Yes, we’re still in Whitley County and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. We have an amazing community and we love it here.

There were nights I found myself wandering around the new house unpacking boxes, arranging furniture and decorating at 3 a.m. – and it was wearing me out! Some wise person pointed out, “You know, you’re going to live there for a very long time. You don’t have to do everything in a few days!” Since then, I’ve mellowed out on the obsession with getting everything in order immediately. Which is a good thing – because about a week after moving, we left on a 10 day trip to Belgium and France! You might think this sounds like too much excitement, but this is very characteristic for us. When 11 days after graduating from college we got married and the next day left for our two-week honeymoon in Scotland. See – normal stuff for us!

Belgium and France were very nice and I particularly enjoyed the smaller cities in Belgium like Leuven, Bruges, Ghent and Oostende. The architecture was the best part about the trip – towering cathedrals, statues and grand plazas around every corner. We made the important stops to see the Mannequin Pis, Gran Plas, The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower…and the other to-do list: enjoying the chocolate, warm waffles, crepes with sugar, croissants and baguettes. We sampled the beers (a sweet cherry beer called Kreik was my favorite). All in all, it was an excellent adventure. Hopefully my absence was not noticed as I continued to update Talk of the Town daily during my holiday – just during hours that aren’t typical due to the different time zone.

Every time I go to Europe, I like to make note of the fashions because they tend to arrive here in the Midwest awhile later. On one trip several years ago, I recall seeing women wearing almost comically pointed-toe shoes with flair-legged pants. I thought the shoes looked terribly uncomfortable and after making ample jokes over the years about bell-bottomed pants, I thought it highly unlikely such a look would surface here. But, sure enough, almost a year later, I saw that look replicated here.

So, I made a couple of observations on fashion while I was in Bruxelles and Paris so as to tip off my fashionista friends here as soon as I got home. Yesterday, I did a little shopping in the region to see if I could replicate the look here with little effort and if today is proof, I have accomplished that. I put together a look similar to what I saw there and wore it to a meeting this morning. A little different than what I might normally wear, I did elicit come comments. I did find all of these items ridiculously on sale locally, so snap them up if you can find them.

First, you need a couple of pairs of leggings – particularly black, which you will wear with almost everything, dressed up or casual. Buy them in several lengths – ankle length and capri. You will wear them under knee length dresses and tunics. I saw them in a variety of colors, but since black is slimming and blends with most things, I’d go this route. Everyone was wearing them – regardless of age or body type – and with the longer top or dress over them, they were fairly flattering for most people, really. I found pairs of these at Fashion Bug in Columbia City this week for under $10 in the clearance area.

Second, you’ll need to pick up a tunic or two. Most of the ones I saw were A-line, trapeze style with gathered necklines (usually pleated) or structured ones that were roomy, but not sloppy. Colors like lavender, slate blue, mauve or grey seemed popular for these, but I also saw them in basic black and white, too. A lot of tunics were tank style ones worn alone on warmer days or with cardigans on cooler days. I found several examples of these at Elder-Beerman in Warsaw yesterday for about $4.

Cardigans and tailored hoodies are a must and can be worn with the leggings and tunics. You probably already have these around.

I saw a lot of black and grey ankle boots and slouchy calf boots over the leggings. Similar versions are available at many local and regional stores at reasonable prices. The ones I saw overseas tended to be more pointy-toed and not rounded. I saw heels and flats, so pick what’s comfortable for you.

The look is not complete without a pashmina or scarf around the neck. It wasn’t necessarily matchy – sometimes bright or featuring animal print. There seems to be an art to correctly swirling the fabric around one’s neck that makes it drapey, but not messy looking. I have not mastered this, but will keep trying. A friend told me this morning that she picked up a similar scarf locally for $1 this week.

If scarfs are not your thing, you’ll have another option: jewelry. Long strands of chain and larger beaded jewelry were popular and in colors that didn’t necessarily match the rest of the outfit – but they were statement pieces. I’ve seen similar ones in local stores and also handmade, amazing versions at the Farmers Market.