Wear your closet: not purple today

A final entry in Encircled's #wearyourcloset challenge. The "blouse" is my Encircled Chrysalis Cardi, which I have to admit I do not wear often, so it fits the challenge! The suit came from a thrift store, and the necklace is a thrifted scarf clip.

The Intentional Thrifter: Find and replace; wearing your closet

I am trying not to add extra clothes to my closet, but this plum-coloured sweater dress is a replacement for another dress that had gotten very pilled. So that's okay.

I'm still looking for belts and shoes, but haven't seen any that I like or that fit. It might take awhile.

I've thrifted some books recently, but they're mostly for gifts and I don't want to spill any secrets. Things I did not buy today, although it was close: a photo book about midcentury modern style; a boxed set of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books; a paperback copy of Watership Down (I might still pick that up at the end of the week). 

The Encircled.ca (or .com) clothing company is doing a Wear Your Closet challenge this week, through their Instagram page. You pick seven items of clothing you "never wear," spend the week seeing if you can find ways to wear them, and post photos to Instagram. Encircled also sends you styling hints during the week. (If you still don't like the seven items after all that, you have permission to give up and give them away.) Am I participating? Not officially, because I have already thinned out the things I doubted I'd wear again.

But this week's return to sweater-weather, combined with the Encircled challenge, reminded me to try new things. I've already worn a new-to-me sweater with a grey skirt I picked up in April but didn't wear much; and layered a slightly-too-short denim shirtdress with a top and leggings. Today I noticed that an old favourite pullover goes very well (in a cheerfully-clashing sort of way) with the last scarf I bought, and that's what I wore to sort books.

So that's how I'm wearing my closet.

Thrift shopping: something I learned about clothes

The top below is a Kenneth Cole Reaction cotton/spandex (jersey-type) t-shirt, bought for $4 at the thrift store. It looks sort of blue in the photo, but it's actually smoke grey.

The reason I say that is because it's exactly the same shade as the (officially) smoke grey reversible/convertible dress I bought last fall from Encircled (below). It even feels a lot the same (the dress is made of sustainably-produced, low-impact-dyed modal jersey).

Should I enjoy wearing one of these more or less than the other, according to where they were made (Cambodia vs. Canada), what's in the fabric, or what I did or didn't pay for them?

"That is not what I meant. That is not what I meant at all." (T.S. Eliot)

For some of us, being decisive about "what we like" is tough. Some of us could write a Pilgrim's Regress about growing up sartorially clueless. Some of us have been trained to think, "It's a shirt. Wear it," in exactly the same tone as the inner voice which scolds, "It's food. Eat it." An inner attitude of "yeah, whatever," has its uses, especially when options are limited; but it doesn't give much credit to our power of creative thought and choosing. If you think I'm wandering hopelessly here, this might help (it's from a 2012 post about homeschooling):

1.  Use what you have.

2.  Use what you have creatively.

3.  This is the hardest part to explain:  stay aware of your "big picture."  Unless you're naturally serene about letting the unschooling chips fall where they may, you need to keep evaluating, planning, trying to keep in mind whatever educational goals or philosophy you steer by.  Plus whatever family circumstances, special needs, etc. you have to deal with.

4.  In other words, you can use what you have, or what comes your way, as long as it fits into your overall education plan. In Lloyd Alexander's book Taran Wanderer, the main character Taran meets Llonio, a father who supports his family by taking hold of anything that fate throws in his net--literally.  The family never knows from one day to the next what will float down the river, but they cheerfully take whatever comes, and eat it or wear it or use it.  As Taran stays with Llonio's family, he appreciates their generosity and their creativity, but he also eventually realizes that their way of life is not exactly for him.  He wants to do a little more purposeful seeking, instead of just catching what comes his way.  

Why did I notice that t-shirt during a very, very quick trip to the thrift store last week? Probably because smoke grey jersey is now on my radar as "I like that." Not that I want to dress like a rain cloud every day, but it's in my "purposeful seeking." 

Sometimes it's worthwhile to go out and do a little purposeful fishing; because then when something useful does accidentally float past, you can grab it. It's all part of the learning.

My curated, artisanal, serendipitous closet, and a revolutionary thought

No, not really, about the curated, artisanal part. But it seems like a long way from a midlife closet crisis, not so long ago, to finding a happy-place with clothes.

We hadn't been to the thrift store in weeks. There wasn't much to clean out, and nothing urgent to look for. But we had slowly accumulated a boxful of things to drop off, so we did that, and I had a few minutes to shop. What I had in mind was either a heavy sweater, or a light-coloured pullover, things that had been on my list for awhile. I looked through the sweaters quickly, but found nothing that worked. There was also nothing interesting on the dollar racks. No shoes that looked like they'd fit, no interesting belts, the only dress possibility was black (just, no), and the only purse I liked was too expensive. Then Mr. Fixit ran into a friend and stopped to chat, so I had a second look at the sweaters. Wait--that sort-of green-mixed-with-grey one there. Would that fit? It did. Was it the right colour? It was. It was an unusual feeling to be that sure of one thing, in a whole store full of other things I didn't want or need. "Nice colour," the cashier said.

This is the sweater plus the GREEN Chrysalis Cardi (as a scarf).

This is what it looks like using the belt from the Chrysalis Cardi as a skinny scarf. (Also GREEN. I tried hard to get the colours right, but looks like the camera on my tablet missed the boat again.)  The sweater isn't a cardigan; that line down the front is a somewhat-diagonal decorative seam.

So I now have two fall sweaters. They're both my favourites. That feels like a good place to be in.

I recently read and reviewed The Curated Closet, and as I said, fashion books are sometimes hard to use if you don't already have a good idea of what you like to wear. Often they are like cookbooks written for chefs. My reluctant-shopper mind (to use the cooking analogy) functions more like Peg Bracken's "I just want a couple of recipes I can swear by instead of at."

But here's my revolutionary thought. I don't go to the grocery store and expect to pick out all the wrong food that we'll hate and that I'll throw away (not usually, anyway). I don't expect that 90% of the time I'll burn the cookies. Is it because clothes are so tied to our personal selves that we feel slightly blasphemous about thinking that we have gotten acceptably competent at choosing them? (A new phone is one thing, a pair of shoes is another.) I almost wonder if it's like the "I can't do math" thing, one of those things that it's almost more acceptable to agree you're bad at too, rather than to raise eyebrows by answering, "Gee, I dunno, I always thought trig was sort of fun." There is a place for genuine humility, and for acknowledging that there are certain things we are never going to be very good at. It's also okay to know that some of us are not going to look like airbrushed celebrities even if we wanted to. But the simple idea that it's okay to say, "Hey! Look what I found!"--even if it's just to ourselves--and to take some pleasure in that, even if we're always going to be kind of middle-of-the-road shoppers and dressers; that has to be acknowledged too. To quote the Winter Warlock, "I'm not such a loser after all."

A little grey dress (Review of the Revolve Dress from Encircled)

Website of Encircled (Canada)
The Revolve Dress (Canadian site)
The Revolve Dress (U.S. and International)

Darrin: "I went to a great deal of trouble to find a present that would express exactly how I feel about our marriage..."
Sam: "And you bought me a PRISON GOWN!"
(Bewitched, "I'd Rather Twitch than Fight," 1966)

No, Samantha didn't like her ugly grey bathrobe. Grey carries along all kinds of boring baggage, doesn't it? Almost as much as black, and without the chic. So if I said that I wanted a plain grey dress with long sleeves (and was prepared to spend more on it than Sam's bathrobe and Darrin's new jacket put together), you might think I needed my head read. Why not buy something brighter and prettier? Why not save a lot of money and buy a dress at the thrift store? (I looked many times, but didn't find anything that fit this particular gap.) Even the Encircled website photographs of the Revolve Dress gave me a few misgivings. They seem a bit severe, and none of the photos make the dress look much longer than tunic length (although the model is a lot taller than I am. Well, most people are taller than I am).

Even so, I kept circling back to the Revolve Dress. When the opportunity to order one came a little sooner than I'd planned, I decided to at least try it out; if it looked all wrong, I could return it.

The dress arrived very quickly, in a no-frills mailer pack. But this is no "prison gown." It's made of a soft, very luxe-feeling fabric called micromodal, which is knit and dyed right in Toronto. Worn frontways, the fabric drapes from the shoulders, down the front.

Reversed, you have a boatneck neckline, with the drape in the back. Generally I avoid boatnecks (a case of Post-Traumatic Stripe Disorder from the '80's), but this one works, especially with a necklace adding some vertical.

The skirt, to create three different lengths, has ruching on one side; it's just enough to keep the hemline from being too plain. The deep grey fabric is nice enough for a party, but it can also be toned down and serious. And when the dress is tucked up to form a top or a tunic, it can play dress-down equally well.

Paired with an Encircled Chrysalis Cardi (my review)

The Smoke dress mixes well with my other clothes, and accepts my problematic penchant for mismatched teal greens. You know you've made the right choice on something (clothes or anything else) when, after owning it even briefly, you can see how big a hole there would be without it. The hard-to-match jacket I bought last winter:

my favourite navy-grey-green striped scarf:

the grey pants I found for a dollar at the thrift store:

they each have a new friend.

It can even work as a skirt, if you like to layer.

The colour choices for a Revolve Dress right now are Black, Smoke, and Plum. Sizes run from XS to XL, and there's a measuring chart on the Encircled website. The dress is made to last, but you have to be prepared to give it a bit of care: it can't go in the dryer, and handwashing is also recommended although it can be machine washed.

Moral of the story: nice things may come in no-frills mailer packs, especially if they're from Encircled.

(So what happened to Samantha's ugly bathrobe? You can watch the episode on You-tube and find out.)

This is an unsolicited review of the Encircled Revolve Dress. I received no compensation for writing it. All opinions are my own.

A wardrobe in a mailer box? (Review of the Chrysalis Cardi by Encircled)

2018 Note: This was first posted in 2016, and things at Encircled have changed slightly since then, so I've updated the review slightly.

Website of Encircled
The Chrysalis Cardi (Canadian site)
The Chrysalis Cardi (U.S. and International)

How do you fit three four dresses or tunics, four scarves, a cocoon cardigan, a cape, a wrap, a skirt, a skort, a halter top, and a sash in a box about the size of a sheet of paper?

This is how (see photo below).  This is a Chrysalis Cardi from Encircled, a Canadian company that specializes in eco-friendly, fairly-traded, travel-friendly women's clothing. It's not just a circle scarf; it's a carefully designed and sewn loop of fabric, with six strong snaps that allow several permutations. (INFP's love permutations, potentials, and possibilities.)

This is why I bought what, for me, would normally be an out-of-my-range item of clothing (see photos below). Mr. Fixit and I have a momentous anniversary coming up soon, and I needed a dress.

This is how you can change the "Grecian tunic" dress to more of a crossover style. You can also do it one-shouldered, but that wouldn't stay on the hanger. (Addition: I forgot about the "draped dress"option, snapping two ends around your neck to make a beach or halter dress for summer. That would make it four dresses.)

This is what the dress looks like when you unsnap the snaps and let it hang loose as a circle scarf.

This is what the scarf looks like when you double it up. You can also triple it up if you're cold, or lay the whole thing out flat, fold it corner to corner, and tie it like a blanket scarf.

This photo (below) gives you the general idea of the Cocoon Cardi style. (It looks better with arms coming out of the armholes.)

This is the sash. You can also use it as a hairband or a very skinny scarf.

You can also put the big tube over yourself inside out, secure it with the sash or a belt, fold the top down over the belt, and wear it as a skirt. As someone noted on Encircled's post about that, the snaps are also in the right place to turn the skirt into a skort. (Update: someone else just posted about wearing it as a maxi. I tried it and it works.) And finally (I forgot to mention), you can snap it into a cape; wrap it into...well, a wrap; and hogtie yourself into an X-back Halter, which is one I haven't mastered yet.

Which brings me to the important part. The Encircled website (and all its attached media outlets such as Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram) is an essential resource for getting the most out of a Chrysalis Cardi. (The music from their YouTube videos is now stuck permanently in my brain; I hear it every time I snap the dress together.) Obviously you don't need hand-holding if you're ordering their reversible leggings, Dressy Sweatpants, or t-shirts, but for the multi-personality items, it's very helpful. Their online customer service is also friendly and quick. All the items are made of eco-friendly materials such as modal and bamboo, and they are sewn by cheerful Encircled contractors in Toronto. If you live in Toronto or in one of the other places where they have pop-up shops, you can go and try things on. Otherwise (like me) you will have to order online. But they do take returns.

The colours on the Encircled website come and go by seasons, and sometimes they come up as "pre-orders." It's worth signing up for their emails if you want to keep informed not only about sales and special events, but about which colours are coming up. They had a raspberry-coloured Cardi not too long ago, while I was still just thinking about whether or not I might eventually buy one; but those sold out, and I went for the green one instead. They always have their basic, top-selling colours available (like black and grey).

The Chrysalis Cardi comes in only two sizes, Petite and Regular, although most of their other clothing is traditionally sized.[UPDATE: they now have a plus-sized version too.] Although certain online friends (and one of my daughters) have referred to me as "tiny," I am, in fact, just under the height line for Regular. I decided to go with Petite because I was concerned about droopy dresses, and that worked out fine; but if you're just sort-of-petite like me, you might try a Regular for more ease on the other stylings (like the Cocoon Cardi).

Am I happy with this? Yes, definitely, which is why I'm posting this relatively rare product review. Is it as much of a bargain as buying a couple of dresses and scarves at the thrift store? Why would I go and spend that much money on one piece of clothing? Well, as I said, I had planned to buy a special dress anyway, and I liked the style(s) of dresses that the Cardi turned into. I liked the extra possibilities of the scarf. I liked the pretty colour and soft fabric. I liked that the Encircled company is Canadian and responsible and all the rest of it. Is it worth saving up some money to support small companies, when they make good products? I think so.

Disclaimer: I was not asked to write this review, or compensated in any way for writing it. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday Hodgepodge, on Thursday: Everything balances out

I haven't done the Wednesday Hodgepodge for awhile, so I was going to post this week's responses yesterday, but, oops. So, welcome to Wednesday on Thursday.

1. I read here a list of 13 things you should do in June. I'm paraphrasing a little but basically... 

Go on a road trip with your best friend, pick fresh strawberries, host a garden party, take a morning run, treat yourself to a flower bouquet, spend a whole day hiking, discover a new coffee shop, try a new ice cream flavor, read at least one book, visit a Farmer's Market, make a swing for your home, and visit a new city. 

Which thing on the list do you most want to do? Of the activities mentioned, which one holds the least appeal? How many on the list will you attempt in June? What's one thing you'd add to the list? 

Visit a new city: I did that last month already. (Lunch at the Dallas Museum of Art, and a look at the Vermeer Suite exhibit: yes, that was pretty cool.)

Flower bouquets: we will probably have some roses blooming soon along our side garden.

Least appeal? Taking a morning run, I don't do that. And making a swing...like a porch swing? We don't really have a place to put one.

2. What's something you could do today to feel more peaceful? 

Get some work done on a writing project; then I'll take tomorrow and the rest of the weekend off.

Or is the right answer "eat chocolate ice cream?" (#3)

3. June 7th is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Are you a fan? Swiss mocha, rocky road, chocolate chocolate chip, peanut butter and chocolate, or a dish of plain chocolate...what's your pleasure? 

"Yes."

(Isn't that enough of an answer?)

4. If you came with a warning what would it say? 

"If wound up too tightly, may be unable to stop talking."

5.What's the most interesting website you've visited in the last week? 

Encircled.ca, a Canadian clothing company: they're having special giveaway contests all this month (see their blog).

 6. Spring, summer, autumn, winter...which season are you? Why? 

As in colouring systems? Summer. Orange and beige make me look ill.

 7. "You lose sight of things...and when you travel, everything balances out." ~Daranna Gidel Would you agree with that sentiment? Explain why or why not. 

I'm not sure why travelling would balance out things we've lost sight of. Does it mean that you get a new perspective on things, maybe remember stuff you used to do? Or that travel evokes memories of people or places you have known?

I don't know that you have to travel very far to get into that kind of a space, though. Maybe just doing some of those "June things" (in #1) might be enough to restore equilibrium.

 8. Insert your own random thought here.

Some of us are taking a short train trip this weekend, to visit our Apprentice in Toronto. We realized that, aside from subways or the rail museum that offers rides in vintage cars, none of the adult Squirrels had been on a proper train since before we were married. So it was time to remedy that.

Model train found here.

Linked from The Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.