What to wear for a complete dousing of lobster and white wine

A couple of months ago my lovely husband joined me for dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. It was a special occasion as this spot is not normally opened for lunch. We went to enjoy a special chef's tasting menu for the foodie crowd. Since I am not a "lady who lunches" and this was a weekday, I worked through the morning and scurried over the river and through the woods to get to the restaurant. Arriving 15 minutes after the seating, I was a bit flustered and ready for someone else to take control for the next two hours.

My wine was poured and the waiters started circling with the first course of cold lobster on a lime sorbet with some type of gastro-molecular style butter dust. I'm not sure where the waiter lost his balance, but soon my plate was in my lap along with my wine glass. What was I wearing? A simple black dress. That's right. The LBT is not only popular for its sexiness and simpleness, but have you ever considered its ability to cover up food accidents? It worked like a charm. I stood up, dusted my entire front off, washed my hands in the rest room, was reseated at a new table and began to enjoy my meal in less than 3 minutes. A little sticky, but easy to clean.

For all of you that are a baby mommy, you know all to well the power of black to fight the inevitable jam fingers or snotty nose on shoulder. But the options in black can range from wearing a sack to wearing restraints. As a mom I'm always looking for comfortable, fashionable solutions. And I think the only way we can find these things is let each other in on our secrets.

The dress I was wearing was jersey. Say what you will about jersey, it is comfortable! And jersey done well can be fashionable. This is my go to dress in black with ruching over the tummy that gives me a waist line while hiding the inevitable belly expansion. Jarbo is a Bellevue, Washington design company that has recently opened shops in Bellevue, Madison Park, and online. They sell to the big department stores, as well, for those shopping Nordstrom, Neiman's or others. Here is a great example of a dress that can hide it all and still be fashionable. Click link.

So with that, friends, I ask you to share your fashion comfort secrets with me and with each other!

Style Illiterate

Boot season in PNW begins

You can't imagine the things that my husband said to get this shot. 

On a separate note, this is a super cozy outfit - like wearing PJs at work. Anything that combines fashion with comfort goes to the top of my list. 

Brand Badging

It was 10 AM. I was in the security line at SeaTac airport, ready to board the four hour flight to Austin. The middle aged couple four spots in front of me must've woken up at 6 AM to get ready for the flight. The gentlemen wore a Burberry jacket (visible by the pop of the symbolic tan tartan under the collar), gucci shoes and was carrying a large Louis Vuitton duffle. And that was what I noticed before he stripped for security. After laying their wares across 5 security tables, I was exposed to another Burberry jacket under the first, True Religion jeans, and a Dolce Gabbana tshirt. This, my friends, it what we call brand bradging.

Brand badging is not to be confused with iconic brand style. I'm not a huge fan of Louis Vuitton, but I can't dispute the fashion utility of the iconic brown bags. The classic Channel tweed jacket has been copied so many times, its used to describe the style like Kleenex to describe tissue paper. Brand badging is specifically the use of external labels on the item to promote the brand.

Fashion brand badging is much like driving a bright yellow hummer - it screams, "Look at me! I spent a lot of money on this stuff!" One brand badge often leads to two and three and four until you have a style miasma of noticeably branded fashion labels splattered across a single body. More often than not, it does not represent a style perspective but an economic position. And according to the Economist, this is exactly the affect it has on others. Wearing noticeable labels makes others think you are of higher status and wealthier.

Is this snobbery? Yes. Is it classist? Probably - and my "middle class" mores find it ostentatious. Have I done it? Definitely. I remember back in junior high when the pinnacle of my fashion statement included a Genera tshirt and an Esprit bag. Ok. I didn't have much allowance, but I felt like hot shit in my duds. It is a way of fitting in and saying "I belong." And let's be honest, its a lot easier than trying to find your own style.


How do you avoid the pitfalls of brand badging? 
1. Beware of items externally labeled. This is particularly difficult on bags, but subtle labeling is different than the Gucci G spread across the entire bag. And since they are not rules, breaking them occasionally will not harm anyone. I will admit to lusting after a navy velvet Louis Vuitton bucket bag that stitched the brand across the velvet. But paying more to advertise for others is a sure sign you are be horn swaggled by a brand badge.
2. If you are wearing an iconic brand style, only wear one. A piling of the iconic, even if not externally labeled, often leads to the same style miasma.
3. Consider how the item, not the brand, fits into your style and image. How does it feel and fit? These questions alone will steer you in the right direction.


Oscar Wilde commented that "Only shallow people don't judge others by their appearances."  It is normal behavior to judge, evaluate, make a quick estimate, of someone on the basis of their appearance. Some brand badging can help you score a job or a date. Too much brand badging says you don't know who you are.

As always,
Style Illiterate

Travel set

Mixed prints

This outfit was recently styled with Alethea. I really like the Ikat print scarf mixed with the floral sweater. Its warm and cozy. Add tall girl shoes and it makes the look a little dressier. 

Travel gear

This jacket is so great for warm weather. It is beige, but with a blush tint. I can't normally wear beige because of the yellow tones, but this works. It's also meant to be a bit wrinkled, which is required for travel. The dress is jersey and ruched at the waist for great comfort.

The French have a term called the "third piece" which means you should always add one interesting element to each outfit. You can have on a white tee shirt and jeans and then grab a fantastic scarf or bright bag to pop it up a level. Do I always achieve this pentacle of fashion? Hells no. You don't want to see me at the coffee shop on Saturday or Sunday morning when I have barely gotten out of my jammies. But we all have something to strive for. So my "third piece" here is the leopard print shoes. They aren't super gaudy 5-inchers. Just subtle 2-inch heels, but unexpected or interesting is the key.

And this is all recyclable travel garb for warm weather. The dress gets more rotation with little sweaters and scarves. The jacket is in heavy rotation with colorful blouses and jeans. One pump, one flat, and one running shoe and I'm done packing. I hope this helps my other traveling sisters.

Style Illiterate

Travel lesson #1

You forgot your workout socks and you have to borrow some from a colleague. Luckily, Jeff's socks don't have holes, unlike others we know.

The fashion files return

All right, friends. It has been a long hiatus. Since we last spoke, I followed my vision quest to work in the fashion industry and concluded that its not that important to me at this point in my life. That doesn't mean I've fully rejected fashion in favor of Birkenstocks. It just means I don't have to kill myself to do it for work.

The big lesson is this: I have come to realize that the pain one is willing to accept in work changes throughout your life. In my 20s, I was definitely willing to burn the midnight oil and clock ridiculous hours to learn quickly. Early 30s (read: pre-kidlet), I pursued big hairy challenges that made my brain turn sideways to solve. As I broach my 40s (still two years away, bi-yaches), I am really happy working with smart, talented people I really like (i.e. I can happily celebrate my birthday with them) on problems we all agree are interesting to solve. And I like helping other people be better at what they already do well. Particularly encouraging my female friends how much they rock and are really capable of.

Ok. So now that I've left my fashion vision quest, what does that mean to my personal fashion? Well, its become a little more comfortable. The trick is making comfort still fashionable. Right, ladies? AG Stevie jeans are a comfort staple for my body shape. Cute sweatshirts from Nike? Check. Purple Pumas? Check. And the five inch pump still comes out once or twice a week. I haven't died.

I have also returned to working with my original stylist, Alethea, and it is so inspiring. Here is what I love about Alethea:
1. Her ability to work with any budget in natural textiles.
2. Her ability to style and find the fun in each outfit.
3. Her ability to draw out and elevate your unique style
If you want her contact details, just email or face friend me.

Finally, I have bought the beloved new iPhone, so no more complaints about my crappy pictures.

With that, I have a few topics I've been thinking about. I'm just going to jot down some of the upcoming subjects so I don't forget. Remind me if you don't see them soon.
1. How to pack for work trips that cover hot and cold climates
2. Brand badging and other adventures in Louis Vuitton
3. Should I wear red pants?
4. What to wear for a complete dousing in lobster and white wine
5. Convention go-ers fashion - does it exist? Discuss.

Thanks, friends, for encouraging me to get back to my blog.

-Still Style Illiterate

Putting blog on pause

Well, some of you have been kind enough to notice that I stopped posting. So thank you for your continued support. I have decided to put my blog on pause for now for a few reasons.

1. My friend Kaye is right - I should change the blog name.
2. My friend Maren is right - I need a better camera.
3. My new job in apparel at unnamed big company has allowed me to find a lot of other great personal fashion blogs and I realize I really need to step it up.

So during my hiatus, please follow some of my other favorite blogs I have found:

What Katie Wore
Kendi Everyday
In Her Stilettos
The Glamorai

XOXOX,
Style Illiterate