Planned Parenthood--Oktoberfest

There are lots of Oktoberfest-type celebrations in Yakima in the fall, and the blogabilities are definitely out there. I love seeing women put together a look all their own with what's in their closets, not necessarily going shopping to buy an "outfit" to wear. These ladies added lots of different elements that clicked together for fun Yakima-style casual looks that were very current and didn't come off as too matchy-matchy and premeditated.

Julie, perfectly casual in the long shirt, uber-skinny jeans tucked into the most delicious grey suede boots that zipped up the back. (Sorry they don't show up very well in the pic, but believe me, they were delicious.) Boots that beautiful could change your life. Make you brilliant. Get you all kinds of new, interesting friends. Make you tall, blonde, & beautiful like Julie. Well, maybe not...but she looked great.

Fashion Fearlessness: Black & white argyle tights with a coatdress, tonite worn as the dress by Dora. Can't see the huge patent bag, but it looked fabulous. I told her my blog was about Yakima style & she said, "But I'm not from Yakima!". Big deal, Prosser-- close enough. I'd venture to say Dora is the most stylish citizen in that town. Blogalicious. And she & her husband supplied all the wine for the event, so how cool is that?

This is Addy, PPCW's brand-new Development Director, developing some style of her own with the black pencil skirt, skinny belt, luscious satin blouse with crystal-ball necklace, and boots. Perfect combination, not too overdone. Addy just moved from Phoenix--how often can you wear black leather boots in Phoenix? She looks very chic & put-together for an autumn event like this.

Fresh Hop Ale Fest

Saturday night was the Fresh Hop Ale Fest, Allied Arts' annual fundraiser in the Millenium Plaza. The weather was cool, the bands were hot, the beer was cold and hoppy, the wine was smooth and grapey, and the crowds were dressed for an outdoor party in October. It's always a fun event and the weather can be perfect or perfectly awful. This year we lucked out, it was chilly but pleasant. So how do Yakimanians dress for a night of hops? Here ya go:

It was chilly, but she looked so cozy in this white Polar-tec type jacket. Plus perfect accessories: black beret, white fuzzy gloves, empty beer glass.....Whoa how did that happen?

All right, I just had to put this guy in. I mean, how many Hoppy Hats have you seen? He made everyone wish they had one! Let's drink to that. I believe he already had, several times.

These girls had it all goin' on: love the chunky necklace & comfy white top with the lace yoke, also a great haircut on the blonde. I thought they were girlfriends, which they are, but the brunette is actually the blonde's boyfriend's mom. (Not too confusing) They were having a great time together! The pin-stripe shirt looks very classy & casual under the argyle vest. And she looks way too young to have a kid that old. They laughed when I told them I was looking for style in Yakima. Because they're both from Seattle. Oh well.

This is Renee', who is teensy little thing but always dresses to suit her frame: pea coat that's just the right shape & not overpowering on her, (okay maybe she got it in the kid's department), Burberry bag & cute new shaggy haircut. Toasty! Might as well drink to that too.

How Did This Happen?

Does this ever happen to you? Every few seasons I look in my closet and suddenly everything I own is just plain WRONG. Where have I been, in a cave? I looked through the stores and the magazines and then I looked at my closet and my sweaters are too skinny, my jeans are too mommy, my skirts are too flowy, my shoes are too pointy, my pants are too low. Or too high. Or too tight. Or whatever.
That's how I felt this fall when I saw all the new jacket shapes, the baby-doll sweaters, the empire waist tops, the wide jeans. I needed a crash course in 2007. Suddenly everything looked so new and different and fun and cool and chic and well, almost wierd! When did it happen? I love the new jacket shapes, all the sleeves with the bell or the lantern shape, the new jeans that come up higher, and shoes with nice comfortable round toes no matter what heel height.
Sometimes one needs a total wake-up call to get to the closet and clean it out, so that's what I did. And I was ruthless. I threw out stuff that was perfectly good, maybe even never worn, because I looked at it and knew I'd never wear it. It was painful, but what's a new wardrobe without a little pain? And besides, some of those shoes I threw out had caused me enough, ouch.
So now at least I've got room for some of those hot fall items: patent leather oxford pumps! Pencil skirt! Wide pants! Lots of gray stuff! Okay, I've been resisting these for too long, I finally give up: Baby doll tops! Euueew.. never thought I'd say that. But when it comes to khaki capris, I'm still drawing the line. Not for me. Yet.

If you're cleaning out your closet this fall, remember a great place to take your old stuff is The Discovery Shop on Yakima Avenue, it's the American Cancer Society's re-sale shop. Or you could try the YWCA's Working Women's Wardrobe if you have lots of suits, blazers, or anything for a woman starting a new job for the first time. Or dump them off at the Union Gospel Mission's Lighthouse Shop on Front Street. But give them away. Sometimes it's good to just start over.

The Ladies Who Lunch

There were lots of ladies at Town Hall yesterday wearing nice proper jackets and pants but Kay stood out in this black/white tweed: new flyaway shape, lantern sleeves, round collar, giganto buttons. A new, interesting-shaped jacket like this can completely update last year's wardrobe and looks very in the moment. Plus the sweater with all the buttons on the sleeves looks perfect under it, and we all love the big red bag. (The jacket's from Ladies Haberdasher.) Also--chic new haircut AND we like the hot pink strand in it for breast cancer awareness!

September Wedding

This is Nikki, wearing a great combination of brown and green at a recent wedding. The bold beaded necklace and the shawl added just the right touch. Can't see her shoes, but they were brown ballet flats. Not too matchy-matchy, but very put together. She says she wears scrubs to work, so she has fun dressing up.

Teeny-tiny fashionista: This little girl was all dressed up in black & white polka dots with hot pink trim, black tights & patent leather shoes. She wouldn't stop dancing long enough for me to take her picture.

Charlotte, N.C.

Ok, perhaps Charlotte is not known as a fashion capitol, and true, it was a little difficult to find some real style. (Tell me--am I the only woman in this entire country that does not own a pair of khaki capri pants? And when did that become our uniform?) BUT, Charlotte does have a few malls. And they have more than one department store. So we had a wickedly fabulous time shopping.
Here's my deepest desire for Yakima: can we please get an "Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse"? OMG, this is like Disneyland for shoe-lovers! There are rows & rows of shoes from designer to flip-flops and everything in between. My friends took me there, left me, and came back an hour later before I even knew they were gone. I wandered the aisles barefoot, dragging a big mesh bag full of shoe boxes and trying everything in sight. Grey suede d'Orsay pumps with ribbon lace-up toes, burgundy suede mary-janes, black shubooties with little buttons. All at sale prices. I don't think I came out of my shopping stupor until I saw my Visa bill. Whew.
And Steinmart. There's a whole 'nother story. Anyway suffice it to say I had to purchase an extra suitcase to get it all home and don't you dare tell me you've never done that.

Here are a couple Charlotte pics:


This is Janie at a party at the Charlotte Westin--fearlessly fashionable at 50! Leggings, a floaty tunic & bold gold chain. Very chic, very young.

Here are our fashion gurus, Sonja & Teal, who put on a little style seminar and then took us on a tour of the Charlotte Nordstrom...and helped us find jeans without the muffin-top, the crack, or the Mom-waist. I loved Sonja's expression, "These jeans are 'sister-friendly'"--meaning they actually have a butt. They were both really fun & helpful.

Quotes for the Day

"I am here to make women look beautiful and not like fools or crazy fashion victims."--Valentino

"If you love clothes, you have some duty to show them off."--Liz Goldwyn

"If someone is chic, it hasn't happened by accident. Thought and effort went into it."--Stephanie Seymour

"You have a much better life if you wear impressive clothes."--Vivienne Westwood

I love these quotes! I'm on my way to Charlotte, NC for a week for a convention. So I'm hauling my camera & I'm still on the lookout for some chicery and fashionousness! Let's hope I find some--I'll keep y'all posted.