Fall Clothes: A Different Take on Delaunay

Robert Delaunay, Saint-Séverin No. 2 (recto); Study for 'The City, ' with the Eiffel Tower (verso), 1909, image found here

I've been following the monthly Eiffel-Tower-inspired wardrobe collection since it began last December on the Vivienne Files website. (There should be a new post on it in the next few days.) I did a couple of  posts about it early in the year, and Betty Bunny also had her turn at the beginning of the summer. Then my personal life turned a corner, and, besides many larger and more important changes, I did a closet clear-out. Some things I included earlier are no longer in the story. Also, I've gone from weekly thrifting stops and flea market trips to almost none. Again, that was part of a bigger change than just worrying about clothes and shoes, but it did have an effect on what I had to post about.

However, the lack of shopping has encouraged a greater appreciation of what's already hanging in my (now slightly smaller) closet. Most of what I'm planning to wear this fall has been around for awhile and was mentioned previously.

Checked flannel shirt, thrifted earlier this year

But here's a quick state-of-the-wardrobe rundown, and there are a couple of new things too.

Using the Delaunay  "Eiffel Tower," Janice at the Vivienne Files chose navy and brown as main neutrals, and light green and ivory or white as accents. Although brown is really popular this year (she definitely nailed that), I don't have much of it other than a long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of trousers, so it will be more of an accent. I did buy a knit blazer and tank top in a colour called Dusk, but that's more of a muted purple-brown. Like...Dusk.

So, I'm focusing more on navy blue, and its offshoots, denim blue and light grey-blue. Right now that's as much colour-decision-making as I can handle. 

I'm not a big fan of Walmart clothes, but I found this denim-blue cardigan there and really liked it. (Shown with a vintage rayon blouse.)

I bought a classic denim skirt new over a year ago, but couldn't quite shake the "old homeschooler" vibe it was giving (a little TOO classic?), so it almost got donated. However, one of my daughters saw it in the pile and convinced me to keep it, and now I'm glad I did, because it goes well with the cardigan and other fall sweaters. So, that's one casual outfit which has all kinds of variables: from the skirt to regular jeans or navy knit pants, and from the blouse to almost all of my t-shirts. I have a blue and white striped cotton shirt, and a white pullover that works with the jean skirt, or a dark blue jersey skirt, or the jeans, and so on.  Really, I thought, that should be enough. And if I get bored with denim and navy, I can pull out those brown pants. Or experiment with Dusk. 

My accessories should also be fine for the fall. A navy everyday purse, loafers, running shoes. A couple of green and brown things I found at yard sales earlier in the year.

 A square scarf  (I think that came from the flea market).

But I felt like there was still something missing, something that would tie everything else together. Maybe some kind of footwear that wasn't running shoes? Nothing dressy. Boots, maybe? I decided to check out a nearby shoe outlet store, although they were mostly clearing out summer sandals. I looked around at all the not-sandals, and tried on a pair of Mary Janes. You don't want to know how bad those can look on someone pushing sixty with bunions. 

Then I saw these navy boots with suede tops. Pointy toes are usually a hard no for me, but these (miraculously) are wide and flexible enough to be comfortable. Zippers to make them easy to get on and off! Block heels, i.e. just enough lift to be fun without getting into anything spiky or uncomfortable! They're shorter than knee length, but with dark tights they still work fine with my skirts. As Janice says, "heck yes."

So, with flashbacks to the days of getting one new piece of clothing to go back to school (I still remember my first pair of super-stiff jeans in 1976), I have my "enough." The one thing still on my wish list would be a solid-colour dress with long sleeves, but that can wait. And maybe I'll get back to the thrift store one of these days.

Last updated September 1, 2025.

Re-Post: What It's All About (from 2015)

It's ironic that the tenth anniversary (blogaversary) of Dewey's Treehouse falls on the same day as the first U.S. Common Core-based standardized testing.

It's ironic partly because this blog has never been all about education, but, in another sense, yes, it is. It's about the past ten years of watching our children experience different sides of home and government education. It's about the growth and changes of the AmblesideOnline curriculum in those ten years, and the ongoing discussions of Charlotte Mason and "subversive teaching." Even when I'm posting about what's for supper, it reminds me that "education is a life."

Last night I finished reading Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, by Martha C. Nussbaum. (Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics in the Philosophy Department, Law School, and Divinity School at the University of Chicago.) In vocabulary and in some of her suggested solutions to education issues, Nussbaum does not run along all the same tracks as Charlotte Mason or the Circe Institute. She spends a lot of time discussing the Socratic method, and she has a surprising amount of respect for the current U.S. president, although (even in 2010) she said she did not entirely trust his educational outlook. I think that she's not totally into "dead white (Protestant) guys"; she would prefer a more global and inclusive curriculum. She believes in democracy, in spite of what "Uncle Eric" says about it.

However, when it comes to the need for a more humanizing education, and the consequences if it's lost, I'm right in there with her. Charlotte Mason warned against utilitarian education. Nussbaum warns against allowing education to be controlled by economics. This week, the Truth in American Education website posted this:

"Then the vice-chair of the NGA Education and Workforce Committee said something peculiar.

 “'The Elementary and Secondary Education Act will allow states to align our needs through early education to higher education with the needs of our innovative businesses, developing a stronger workforce development pipeline, expanding opportunity for all of our people and ensuring that students are prepared for success in all phases of life,' said Governor Maggie Hassan (D-NH).

"There you have it.  They believe education is about the needs of our business and not the needs of our children and their families.  It’s not about teaching kids to be well-educated, well-rounded citizens.  Instead education is to be a pipeline for the workforce.  That’s the shift from classical education to workforce development."

A word that Nussbaum uses throughout Not for Profit is "sympathy." In a list of abilities that citizens should have (page 25), she includes "the ability to have concern for the lives of others, to grasp what policies of many types mean for the opportunities and experiences of ones fellow citizens, of many types, and for people outside one's own nation." Next on the list is "the ability to imagine well a variety of complex issues affecting the story of a human life as it unfolds...in a way informed by an understanding of a wide range of human stories, not just by aggregate data." (emphasis mine)

On this day when the success or failure of Common Core will be tested...by computer, no less...let's celebrate sympathy. Let's hold up the failing hands of imagination. Let's have some fun that is funny.

The hardest post I've ever written here

 

"The road is hard, and it requires rest...quietness and confidence. I am going to make it to the very end. I know this because the Bible says that He who began a good work in me will complete it. Someday the road will end...Let us follow along behind looking to the hills as a place our help comes from, not as a place to fight or fix." (Cindy Rollins, Beyond Mere Motherhood)

Cindy wrote those words in her tribute to our mutual friend Lynn Bruce, but I'm drawing on them today in remembrance of my dearest husband Bryan, "Mr. Fixit," who passed away suddenly two weeks ago. We had a long, wonderful life together, and there isn't much more to say here except that the Treehouse seems very empty.

When our girls were younger, we had a Judy Rogers music tape called Pilgrim's Praise, based on Pilgrim's Progress. One of the songs was Christian's tribute to his friend Faithful. That's also who Bryan was to me: not only a husband, but a brother-in-Christ and a best friend.

As I traveled on my journey, few and far between, were the pilgrims I found faithful to their loving King.

Soon I overtook a young man walking in the way, and I could see within his eyes that he was there to stay.

He was faithful as a brother, he was faithful as a friend,

Looking for a lasting City, faithful to the end.

Even when the road grew rugged, and the sky turned black, trusting in his King he had no thought of turning back.

In the midst of persecution with his dying breath, magnified the One Who kept him faithful unto death.

He was faithful as a brother, he was faithful as a friend,

Looking for a lasting City, faithful to the end.

Looking for a lasting City, faithful to the end.

© 1988 Judy Rogers.

Betty Bunny Travels Light (But Not Light-Fingered)

Our favourite grumpy bunny author has a new project that doesn't involve space rodents or whobunny-dunits. Recently she has become very knowledgeable about the rabbit fashion designer Sonia DeBunnay, who was known for her intricate beadwork and innovative combinations of carrot orange and radish red. DeBunnay's super-stylish hats and coats  were often bought by celebrity rabbits, who were then painted by Sonia's artist husband Muncha Muncha; so Betty has been busy following some of those research rabbit trails. Sadly, many of the original pieces had been eaten by hungry rabbits, who confused them with vegetables. However, a trunkful of DeBunnay treasures came up for auction last month, and the Rabbit Historical Society bought them. Now they are planning a special display and celebration (because those rabbits always like a party), and Betty has been invited to give not one but two talks over the opening weekend. She agrees to go, partly because she can work in a visit to her friend Lucy Pocket who has a new baby bunny.

Here are her constraints:

It's going to be hot. Not Florida hot, but midwest Rabbit Land hot, which is hot enough. Betty bought a new dress awhile back for such times as these (not a DeBunnay, sadly); but, with this weather, she might have to rethink that, as the dress is a bit heavy for summer. However, the other side of hot could be frozen-food-aisle air conditioning, so there you are.

She's taking BudgetBunnyAirways again, which means the less stuff to stuff, the better, and nothing prone to wrinkling. However, she has to look put-together for the first evening talk, followed by a cotton-tail party, and then also for the next day's talk, after which the rabbit attendees will view the one-rabbit play "Sonia: In Her Own Scarves," starring Betty's ever-onstage niece Maud.

Betty thinks it would be most appropriate to wear some of her own favourite vintage things, in the spirit of the event. She plans to do some mixing and matching, though, so that nobody mistakes her for a museum rabbit-quin. She decides to pack by starting with her two "best" outfits, and then planning something to wear while travelling. Any space she has left will be a bonus (or room for a baby gift).

While a bright pink striped two-piece dress may not be a typical choice for a mini travel capsule, Betty has her reasons for starting there. First, it works with her light blue blazer; but if it's just too hot for a jacket, or if all the other rabbits are wearing party clothes, the top and skirt will be fine by themselves. Second, the two pieces can be worn separately, with other things. Third, the dress is rayon, which isn't the coolest summer fabric, but it does hand-wash easily and dry quickly, in case anything happens to it. For accessories, Betty decides to keep it simple with a string of vintage pearls and her favourite blue earrings. She reluctantly packs a pair of low-heeled pumps, although she would really rather be wearing sandals. Betty remembers an event when one of her rabbit co-authors stepped out of her shoes right on stage and kept going in her bare bunny feet, which Betty thinks was very courageous of her.

Now, a second speaking outfit, which had better be a bit more comfortable as it has to last all day (and this time she's going to wear comfortable shoes). Betty packs a navy polka-dot blouse, with a green shirt jacket she found at a flea market, and a pair of navy trousers. Again, if the jacket is too much, she'll be fine (though less colourful) in just the blouse and trousers. The fancy purse may take up too much room in her bag, but she hears Sonia DeBunnay whispering in her ear, "bring it anyway."

She's aiming for nine pieces of clothing, three to wear and six to pack (something she learned from the Vivienne Files). So far she has six pieces; if she really had to, she could get along without the striped skirt and just wear the  trousers with the striped top, but she's being stubborn about wanting the whole dress. So: one blazer, one shirt/jacket, one pull-on top, one button-up blouse which could be a jacket in a pinch (it has an awful habit of coming undone at inopportune times anyway, which she'll have to deal with); one striped skirt, and one pair of navy trousers.

She adds two things: a sleeveless navy top with a collar (it's a golf shirt), and a pair of chambray trousers. Both of those things go with almost everything she's packed so far (the top also works with the striped skirt). It's not a completely get-dressed-in-the-dark capsule, because the green jacket doesn't do much for the striped dress. But, other than that, it's pretty blendable. The striped top can be worn with the chambray trousers, and the navy top and trousers can be worn with either of the jackets, or even the polka-dot blouse. Actually, she likes those two so much with the green jacket that she briefly considers leaving the slightly risky blouse at home and just wearing the plain navy top. However, there's that hot/cold question, so the blouse stays.

She has room for one more thing, and she decides on a navy and grey sleeveless top that works with the blazer and the shirt jacket, and both pairs of trousers. One of those combinations will be her travelling outfit there, and the other (whatever's clean) for back-again. That also gives her enough options for a day in the park with Lucy and the young rabbits.

If Betty had extra room, one thing she thinks she might add is a white lightweight v-neck pullover. She pulled that on one day when she was wearing the navy top and trousers, and thought it all looked quite nice together. She also (briefly) thought about packing her pair of ecru linen trousers, but quickly decided against it because a) ecru linen might be a traveller's worst nightmare, and b) these particular trousers have not only a button placket and slide closures, but a drawstring waist thing; somebody obviously wasn't thinking about tiny little  lavatories and the contortions required to get those up and down when they designed them. So, no; she's sticking with the six-pack for this event.

Betty hasn't quite figured out the whole packing plan yet, including how she's going to get that rhinestone-embellished handbag stuffed in along with tailbrushes and bunny-tronics. But so far, so good. 

If she weren't such a well-behaved (though crotchety) rabbit, she might be planning a hat heist at the museum. But that's a whole other suitcase.

An Eiffel Tower Wardrobe (Halfway Through the Year)

Visual inspiration: Eiffel Tower gift box and porcelain dish

I've been following the Delaunay Eiffel-Tower-inspired wardrobe collection since it began several months ago on the Vivienne Files website. My first post about it was here, and the second one was here. Some commenters on the Vivienne Files have been unsure about a wardrobe built on three neutrals with only one accent colour, and I understand the "I'd get bored" position on that. I like variety too. 

More inspiration: thrifted earrings

However...I have been finding that my tastes in colours and clothing have been changing. Maybe it has to do with approaching a birthday that includes a zero. Anyway, I'm becoming happier with a toned-down, trimmed-down approach, so the three-neutrals thing is fine with me, though maybe with a little extra blue and a shot of rose or purple?

As of the May post, the Eiffel Tower heroine has 24 clothing items, probably about half of the total she'd be aiming at by year's end. Because the posts started last December, some of those clothes are turtlenecks and warm trousers, and this update is going to focus on warm-weather clothes. Although I think of the later additions as summery, especially the linen things, they're checked off mostly as spring clothes on the Vivienne Files Timeless Wardrobe chart, mostly because of sleeve lengths. 

Imagine that I have a fall/winter storage box. This (out of my approximation of the Eiffel Tower clothes) is what would go into it:

Winter white ls tee

Navy ls tee

Navy check flannel shirt

Teal pullover

Winter white mock neck pullover

Dark blue button-up cardigan

Taupe trousers (because they're just a bit too heavy-feeling for warm weather)

Dark teal skirt

2 Turtleneck tops

Brown long knit vest

Navy cords

Frosted teal ls tee

This is what I would be keeping out (an approximation of the warm-weather-friendly items already on the Vivienne Files list):

Brown linen-look blazer. It was a toss-up between this and a brown linen shirt, and you might think the shirt sounds more versatile, but the shirt does that soft droopy unironed linen thing, so it can look a bit sloppy as a second layer. 

The blazer holds its shape better, so if I had to choose one for a capsule wardrobe, I'd pick the blazer. (Shown with sleeveless top and shorts from the list below)

Jeans

Navy dress pants (they're not summer weight, but sometimes you need them anyway)

Navy striped dress (although it has 3/4 length sleeves and you wouldn't want it on the hottest days, it would be fine for cooler days or in air conditioning)

Dark blue lightweight pullover (doesn't seem very summery, but, like the dress, it could work on cooler days, or over a dress)

White linen shirt

Ecru linen blend pants

Muted green sleeveless top

Striped blue and white shirt

Sage green rayon pants (shown with striped t-shirt and navy fleece blazer which aren't on this list)

Green shirt jacket

(24 clothing items, if you're keeping count.)

Since it's almost June, we can assume that the Eiffel Tower heroine will soon be going shopping again and she'll probably be adding things from the summer list. So let's imagine that she adds four or five clothing items and a couple of accessories. Like this:

Pair of shorts, navy, mostly for at-home wear

Navy sleeveless top (like a polo shirt but without sleeves)

Frosted teal t-shirt, short sleeves

Sleeveless maxi dress, dark blue floral

Finally: a fast-fashion rayon tunic top, chosen for general usefulness (and stripe-i-ness) rather than high quality. I'm convinced that if you treat thrifted things like this gently (i.e. hand-wash them or at least wash on delicate and hang to dry), you can get enough wear out of them to justify having them in your closet.

Then our heroine hits the accessories motherlode at a couple of yard sales and thrift stores:

Fossil purse, green earrings (detail below), and somebody's grandmother's string of pearls

Vintage acetate scarf (also shown above with the t-shirt)

Do they all work together? Yes, mostly, and the greens are better together than you'd think. The pale green t-shirt works with all the casual bottoms, including the sage-green and ecru pants. The navy shorts and top work with the green shirt jacket or the brown jacket. The navy sweater can be worn over the sleeveless dress.

The year is half spent--and we're not done Eiffel-Towering yet.

Last updated May 23, 2025

Fashion Revolution Week and a Wardrobe Update

Flea-market scarf

Part One

We are living through an era when many people, for various reasons, are becoming newly aware of where the goods they buy come from, and they want to support their own national or local economy. I'm hearing that conversation applied much more to food items (or maybe cars) than to clothing. Finding a locally-brewed beverage is often easier than finding locally-made shoes, and a little intentionality in one direction is certainly better than nothing at all. However, the trend to more intentional shopping can easily extend to questions such as "Who made my clothes?"

April 22nd begins Fashion Revolution Week, which began as an annual remembrance of the Rana Plaza tragedy, and continues as a way to point out that, in many ways, "things" ten years or so later aren't much better, and in some ways they're much worse. "Things" being the whole story of clothing on this planet, from crops and factory production, to advertising and selling, to the wearing and maintenance of a purchased clothing item, and to its eventual disposal. And, at least until this fairly recent trend to shop more patriotically, I have not seen much to suggest that people are buying less,  choosing better, or treating "done" clothes any more kindly. Thrift stores are notoriously full of junky clothes at surprisingly high prices, which pushes frustrated people back to buying more junky clothes that are at least new. Who can blame them?

But it doesn't help things either. And the chaotic state of manufacturing and marketing doesn't excuse us, as consumers, from needing to make the most responsible choices we can. Maybe that's upcycling or mending, maybe that's supporting a sustainable but pricey small company with one or two purchases, maybe that's wearing what we already have more and taking better care of it. My own strategy is thrifting the best-quality clothes I can find at reasonable (sometimes better than reasonable) prices, and sticking to a few favourite colours. It's still possible, still practical. I shrug my shoulders just as much as anyone when I see crazy overpriced stuff, but I keep looking for the things that got passed over.

My wardrobe Kryptonite? It's hard for me to pass up a great jacket or blazer, though in a mostly home-based life, I could survive without any office clothes. For me jackets are just fun, especially the colourful vintage ones, and they often sell very cheaply; but I do try to keep them to a reasonable number.

Eiffel Tower, by Robert Delaunay

Update: shirt jacket found at flea market

Update: linen-blend pants

Update: thrifted earrings

Part Two

This is an update to the wardrobe plan I posted last month, which was based on a year-long Vivienne Files wardrobe project. Most of that was based on cold-weather clothes, and we are (finally, after an excruciatingly long winter) moving into more reliably warm weather here. 

The Vivienne Files plan takes more of a whole-year approach to wardrobe building, and in the March update, the imaginary heroine added a navy sweater vest and wool pants, two turtleneck tops, and some accessories. I'm not going to show my versions of these clothes, but they are similar to things I would be pulling out or looking for in the fall.

For April, the VF plan added an ivory linen shirt and pants, a green short-sleeved t-shirt, and a navy cotton pullover sweater--plus a pair of brown sandals, a lovely scarf, and a pair of earrings. I do have a pair of white jeans, but, to be honest, I don't see a lot of women under or over a certain age wearing white trousers around town. At the beach in summer, maybe, or doing the coastal-grandma look for a day at the flea market; but not so much for everyday, at least in this wanna-be-spring season; maybe it's a matter of practicality.

But...I did thrift a pair of sage-green rayon pants, which work well with navy and also with some darker greens.

Also, a lightweight dark blue pullover.

I already have a lightweight white linen shirt, and a brown linen-blend one (trying to add to the brown in the VF plan). I have a sleeveless muted-green top that some people might say clashes with the pants, but I kind of like them together. Also, see the brown sandals in the photo? Thrifted last month, lucky find.

Oh, and I almost forgot--I found a really good spring dress, in the middle of a rack of really ugly and ratty ones. Sometimes you do have to look extra hard.

As for accessories, I did find a vintage scarf that isn't bang-on with the Eiffel Tower palette, but is pretty in its own way. Also a necklace.

So, I think we're caught up with the VF for now.

Again, this isn't meant to be a whole plan for the whole spring/summer. If I were doing a full wardrobe, I'd add in the light-wash jeans that my daughter offered me from a bag of free stuff, and a couple of other recent finds. 

But that's enough for now.

Locally-crafted earrings

Last updated May 14, 2025