All the Bows.

In addition to lots of stripes, I've also taken to wearing a cloth ribbon in my hair. It's floppy and sort of bedraggled in the most perfect way. I've been snagging lengths of it at work to tie my hair back or up, but I suspect I may have to find a roll of it for myself so I might tie little ribbons all over everything. It adds just the little bit of primness that I need and can't seem to do without.

Secret Spring.

It's been perfection for a week. The only thing missing are the flowers, the leaves, all that lovely greenery. Phosphorescent copses and funny moss on rocks, you know? But we'll get there. I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that this is here to stay. I even did something brazen! I wore nothing on my legs today! Normally I wait to do such a thing until I think spring is official or until it's ridiculous and hot, but this year I'm optimistic early.



I felt exposed without something wrapped around my legs, but it's kind of easy and nice without them. The dress is one I bought half-price on a whim when a vintage store in the mall was moving. It's tight, tight, tight! I can just barely get away with it, although the buttons pull a little bit, so I might have to part with it after one more wear. I think I love it because of the belt (which makes me think of this dress except not as awesome because that blue confection was everything dreamy), and the neckline which is somewhere between a scoop and a crewneck.

I'm also, suddenly, way in love with mustard colors. I really like them with pink especially, so I'm trying to make it happen as often as possible, but mustard is tricky both to eat and to wear. My other favorite vintage pink dress no longer fits (I've gained, oh dear me, two inches in my waist in the past year. Working in a cake shop will catch up with you, or me at least) and so I'm left with just this one.

There is a blouse at an antique store not too far away that has a silk mustard blouse with a bow at the neck that is inexplicably wonderful, but it's also priced a bit high for a blouse. We'll see. If it keeps haunting me by summer's beginning, I may have to throw caution to the wind and whisk it away to my closet.

RagaMuffin etc.

I feel like this is the sort out outfit that make-over shows tout as really unflattering. Kind of weird, somewhat formless pants--cuffed, so that they would theoretically shorten the leg--topped by horizontal stripes and an amorphous jacket with little-to-no shape. I don't particularly care, and I don't happen to think this is terribly unflattering, but it's just interesting I think.



I've taken to snipping ribbons at work and tying them in my hair. It's funny cotton ribbon, which is nice because it doesn't slide out of my ponytail, and sort of un-precious-ifies a hair bow in the first place.

Other outfit notes include: it was a bit too chilly not to wear a proper coat, but I don't care, or socks (especially since I know that March is no promise at all of any kind of weatherly reward). This is also about the 20th striped top I have (I have no idea if that's an exaggeration or an approximation) and it's almost perfect. I also call these my Street Urchin jeans, since they are kind of baggy and have a hole in the knee, and when worn with an equally shapeless coat it feels kind of endearingly ragamuffin. That is the intent anyway.