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.