the hooded parka

Surely winter could not come and go without at least the consideration of a new coat. Surely.

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And wouldn’t you know it, I found one! An olive green parka with a fur lined hood, like I’ve been hoping to find for ages. Ages I tell you. Cotton, not down, but still quite heavy and warm, and not $600. Not inexpensive, either, but that’s a coat for you.

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It’s getting to be that time where the fashion element of the site consists of various outerwear and protective gear. I do love coats, but still. It’s going to be a lot of coats. A lot of a few coats. One does want to look just as stylish with or without a coat, true. I’ll be mostly wearing thermal shirts and sweaters underneath them so will probably look a good deal more put together with the coat on, but one does long for the days of bare arms and wearing whatever one wants.

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Two scarves!

Zara parka, Express Jeans, Jeffrey Campbell France Strapped boots (I do like olive and rust together). On the lips: MAC lipstick in Hang Up, a deep raspberry bordeaux, which liking very much. I need to do another bordeaux lip round up, I think. Have found several I like since the first one.

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I can’t get enough of dramatic hoods and collars, and dramatic necklines in general. Fur is an easy way to achieve this kind of massive sculptural volume around the shoulders and/or throat, and I’m always lamenting that some of the old school strategies have gone out of style, i.e. ruffs and vertiginously high collars. A generous hood can be such a pleasing frame for the head and shoulders when down (think the massively hooded cloaks the women are wearing throughout the Danish film Babette’s Feast – excellent film btw), it’s almost a shame to put it up. Then, though, up it is a completely different kind of pleasing frame.

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monochrome: stone

IMG_0696I like all sorts of taupe shades, and especially wearing them together. Throw some olive and chocolate in the mix and I have all of my favorite colors in one place.

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These boots are still going strong in their second (or third? Why can’t I tell time?) year. 

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The wind is not our friend.

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Really liking these new corduroys, which have a nice skinny fit and large back pockets. I like large back pockets. They seem to make my bum look bigger and more generous, somehow, which I like. Friendlier? More approachable? I don’t know. Tiny, miserly (or even just small) back pockets look so unflattering to me (adolescent, too), and they are useless in the bargain.

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Free People corduroys, Sorel Tofino boots, Jean Pierre cable sweater (via Marshall’s), Thinsulate gloves, Old Navy vest, Muk Luks hat, heart pendant from Etsy. The wooden earrings were a gift, long ago. Favorites. On the lips: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Esprit (mostly blotted off to give the tiniest hint of color). On the cheeks: Chanel cream blush in Fantastic, a beautiful deep berry color that looks entirely natural.

I am wearing so much more makeup than it looks like I am wearing here. [This Lisa Eldridge tutorial has the best advice regarding no makeup makeup I’ve seen thus far.] I see charm in both ends of the spectrum (the conspicuous as well as the inconspicuous makeup), as well as in the very reasonable act of actually wearing no makeup, which is closer to my usual approach.  Maybe a little something on my cheeks. Maybe mascara. Maybe. If I was in the right kind of mood that morning. The world of the blog is only fractionally indicative of life (and it is—for now—the world of photos, a world with slightly different laws and prescriptions). That said, a little bit can go a long way. I’m curious to experiment with wearing more both for the sake of testing products and to see…what it’s like. Just what is it like to be transparently made up on a semi-regular basis? What would it be like for me (other than time-consuming)? What can it do?

Anyhow, this kind of dark berry color is another winter blush I was craving, and I wanted this cream blush particularly, a relatively new and rightly much-lauded formula. Chanel’s beauty products are so, so nice. Not cheap, but not disappointing, either.

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