Wild Spaces

It isn’t unusual for me to enter my salons with muddy shoes and a bramble or two caught on my clothes. Just evidence that I took a little detour on my route to explore a wild place.


Cardigan, Etcetera (consignment). Dress, Parker. Turtleneck, Mossimo. Boots, Steve Madden. Hat, BCBG Max Azria. Bag, Target.


I found this spot in Elk Grove: train tracks, birds, and seclusion. Perfect!

Upholstery

Beefy says this jacket looks like couch fabric. I’d love to have a davenport upholstered in this autumnal, velvety, paisley pile. I’ve got old lady taste.


Jacket, BSB (thrifted). Blouse, BCBG Max Azria. Skirt, vintage, thrifted, shortened, and embellished. Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Miz Mooz. Earrings, Charming Charlie. Bag, Steve Madden.


I’m not sure if this is an old person thing, but our fridge is chock full of things in brine. Witness four jars of pickles and six jars of olives:


Not pictured: a jar of capers and my homemade lebanese turnip pickles. I’m planning to make sauerkraut, next. Just like Beefy’s grandma. I bet she’d like this jacket.

Velvet December

I did a thorough closet cleanout on Saturday and found this dress. I’ve had it for nearly eight years. It’s shorter than when I first bought it (I took it up a few inches) and the velveteen is marred in a few spots, but it’s otherwise unchanged. Polyester really does last forever.


Jacket, Mossimo. Blouse, Sans Souci. Dress, New York & Company. Tights, MeMoi. Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Bag, Charming Charlie. Tassel charm, Epcot Morocco. Arrowhead pendants, thrifted.


The dress the first time I wore it (January 2007):


Winter is for velvet . . . and hot toddies! After I posted my 365 photo on instagram, I got a request for a recipe. This is my cure for a sore throat:


Ingredients
Water
Tea (I prefer lemon)
Lemon
Stick cinnamon*
Whole cloves
Cinnamon whiskey**

Combine tea bag, one lemon wedge, one stick of cinnamon, and 2 whole cloves in a microwave-safe mug. Add water to about one inch from the top. (You want to leave room for the whiskey.) Microwave until very hot.
Remove from microwave and fill to the brim with cinnamon whiskey. Carefully stir and enjoy!

This is both numbing and soothing for a sore throat. If you are suffering from other cold or flu-like symptoms, you will forget you’re sick at all after a few of these!

*I’m cheap and cinnamon sticks are expensive, so I reuse the stick for multiple toddies

**You can also substitute other sweetened whiskeys, like honey, apple, or maple flavored whiskey. If you use an unsweetened whiskey, add a tablespoon or two of honey to the cup before microwaving.

Kitty

I changed my Starbucks name to Kitty. I was running into too many Mollys in line (or behind the counter) and felt super guilty when they turned to me and said, “Why that’s MY name too!” It’s also a little more defensible when the cashier actually takes a close look at my debit card. I can explain that it’s a nickname based off my last name of “Kit.”


Hat, BCBG Max Azria. Jacket, H&M (thrifted). Shirt, Forever 21. Skirt, Charlie and Robin (thrifted). Tights, Hue. Boots, Sofft (consignment). Necklace, Target. Bag, thrifted.

Wearing this hat, I certainly looked like a “Kitty." Usually, I get a doubletake when I give the nickname for my order. Today, it was accepted without a blink.


Today’s 365 isn’t as soft and cuddle as my outfit. It’s an image of the cars pulled from the Yokohama tire shop after it burned in July. This is the same vacant lot in which I used to sneakily take outfit photos.


I haven’t heard any plans for the burned shop and adjacent lot, but if it were mine I’d build a parking garage. Parking is tight on 34th street between Folsom and Stockton. Put a coffee shop on the ground floor and you’ve got a gold mine.

Obviously, I should be a real estate mogul. A real estate mogul named Kitty. (And I would TOTALLY use the top floor of that parking garage for my outfit photos.)

Rainy Day Grays

As long as there is enough coffee in my system, I can handle all the gray, rainy days Sacramento throws at me. Kitty hats help, too.


Hat, BCBG Max Azria. Sweater, Ashley (thrifted). Jeggings and jacket, Mossimo. Boots, Ariat. Bag, Clark’s



I wasn’t the only one making the best of a wet day:

Meow Mix

So. It’s raining again. After spending the last two days (and this morning) in a hooded raincoat, I mixed it up with a wool cap and a pleather jacket today. I added an umbrella for the heaviest downpours.


Hat, BCBG Max Azria. Jacket, H&M (thrifted). Shirt, FY2 (thrifted). Dress, Rugby Ralph Lauren (consignment). Tights, Forever 21 layered over Danskin. Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Brooch, gift.

Basic Black Boots

More footwear success! I found a replacement for my black pleather boots (by Rampage). I didn’t spend half a grand on Stuart Weitzman’s Highline. Instead, I bought a pair of super sale Lauren Ralph Lauren boots from Macy’s and applied a $50 gift card.


Dresses, Diane von Furstenberg (consignment) under a NY & Co dress (shortened). Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Lauren Ralph Lauren. Sunglasses, Target. Scarf, consignment. Bag, Nicole Lee.

It took me a long time to find a black leather (not suede) boot with a tall, slim heel, almond or pointed toe, and tall shaft. I didn’t find any over-the-knee boots that worked. This pair is as tall as could be (17.5” shaft) while still allowing me to comfortably bend at the knee. I also liked that this pair had an ankle strap to cinch in the leather for a custom fit.

New pair (looking a bit brown here, but really black) and old pair: