Oh chambray, you fashion blogger favorite. It's almost scary to start looking through Pinterest for chambray outfit ideas. So I narrowed things down a lot by searching for a way to wear chambray with my new not-quite-purple, not-quite-blue pants (that are the brother of the green pants I wore earlier). Burple? Is that a thing? Huh, apparently it was a thing--a strange beverage from the 80s.
A student at MDU in India put together this brief precis on the subject in his overview of the non-alcoholic beverage market. (Thank you, Internet stranger!)
I've never heard of this drink before. But thinking of kid stuff and the letter "B" and the 1980s and the color purple, I'm reminded of Bonkers candy. One year, our school did a school-wide jumble sale to raise money for starving kids in some African country (my mom decorated several small baskets, lining them with fabric and adding ribbons/lace/etc., for me to take as my donation and I thought an actual fistfight would break out among the first set of girls to land eyes on them--seriously, they were mad popular), and I bought an empty purple bunch-of-grapes shaped thingie, about 6" tall, that appeared to have once contained juice or something. I was very excited to bring it home and re-enact the "Bonkers bonks you out!" TV commercial on my sister's Barbies...over and over again. Whoa, talk about your Throwback Thursday!
So apparently the color is called "blurple."
I found this mirror selfie of a chambray button up shirt and purple (blurple) pants outfit that seemed like a great starting point. Obviously the sleeping dog in a similar color to the belt really pulls the whole look together.
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| From littlebitofwowe.blogspot.com |
I worked for a while with the "white top underneath the chambray" combination, but I just wasn't feeling it. I think my shirt isn't quite casual enough (nor genuinely chambray enough) for this to look right, and anyway, it's just not warm enough yet to wear a chambray shirt without a sweater or jacket, even if you have put a tank top with it. I tried a cream cardigan that was too thin and too small in the arms to fit smoothly over the woven fabric of the shirt (I've had trouble with this cardigan and long sleeves before so I've decided it is for pairing with short sleeves or sleeveless tops in the future). I tried a couple different blazers that were OK (actually, they both will be fantastic with the pants at a time I'm wearing a knit top instead of this stiffer woven fabric). Then I tried my grey and white floral print blazer and ding ding ding, we have a winner. (Hah, this looks a lot better when I'm in a relaxed position rather than conducting an orchestra, as I am in this photo.)
"Chambray" button up shirt (thrifted, LL Bean)
*Purple pants (JCP)
White/grey floral jacket (Coldwater Creek)
Grey leopard flats by Fergilicious
Grey houndstooth socks (Sock Dreams)
Purple "gumdrop" necklace (Target)
Though I like the purple + brown leopard print thing the inspiration outfit had going, I was glad to substitute some grey leopard print in this outfit. I'm really enjoying this opportunity to wear trouser socks and ballet flats--it's a great "it's still cool outside but it's not snowing right now" spring look. Also, this way I achieved a subtle floral/houndstooth/leopard pattern mix. And yep, this outfit further confirmed my belief that these tapered leg pants look better with flats than ankle boots.
Verdict: Trying this shirt with several blazers, a couple of which I bought at Goodwill with spring in mind and have not worn yet (or have not worn since last spring/summer, so I've forgotten how they fit), was instructive. One of my (many) barriers to having a small, fully remixable wardrobe is that particular items do not seem to go together in the super-exchangeable ways that a lot of bloggers experience, or at least claim to experience.
Here's how it is for me. A T-shirt that is long enough to wear with jeans is too long to wear with many skirts. A cardigan that fits well with a sleeveless shirt is too tight with a long-sleeved one. A blazer that is proportioned right for wearing with a tucked in top or a short sweater is too short to wear with a top left untucked or a longer sweater. A skirt or pants that fits great with an untucked shirt feels all bunched up and awkward with a tucked shirt.
It is my impression that it's women with less curvy bodies who blog about how easy it is to wear the same T-shirt in 47 different ways. That might just be because women with less curvy bodies are over-represented among fashion bloggers, but it's my sense that it would be easier to fudge the fit if I had a body with a slimmer shape. Or I could just be kind of incompetent at figuring out how to make things work relative to these bloggers.
Fortunately I have the space to own a few different white and/or grey blazers so that I can select the one that works with the other items in an outfit rather than trying to find one blazer that will fit all situations.
On the topic of blazers, Jones New York is having a crazy-ass sale right now. 50% off all sale items and an extra 50% of blazers and jackets (and coats). The email they sent about this sale featured a woman wearing a burgundy blazer with white piping--a $149 blazer for $27.25, and it's piped?! Sold! I bought several blazers, and I hope a few of them work out. I've had good luck with JNY products in the recent past, so I'm quite hopeful. I even ordered my first short ("car") coat for $35 (instead of $280)--we'll see what I think of that. They offer convenient returns by mail for a flat fee of $7.50, which is worth it for me to attempt to take advantage of some really great prices....before they go out of business this summer, which I'm kind of sad about.
A to Z Challenge Day 2: B is for Burple, Blurple, Bonkers, Blazers, Buying
5 comments:
I swear the Burple container sounds familiar, although we didn't drink it. But oh man, I LOVED Bonkers bonks you out!
I get around needing so many alternatives by just always wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and some form of cardigan/sweater/hoodie. I would not make for an interesting blogger, unless it's "I'm wearing this outfit for the 5th time this month!" lol. But on the rare occasion we go out and I want to look nice, I do find it frustrating when lengths and fits aren't quite right.
And, the dog in the photo is the same color as our cat. It could have been you in the photo and for a second I thought it was!
Jen, I know right? The Bonkers were awesome...even the candy was OK, if I recall correctly, but bonking out was the best. Your uniform sounds just right for your situation, too.
Mom, I would LOVE to have your cat photo bomb one of my outfit photos!
I don't remember Burple or Bonkers bonks you out. I looked up the Bonkers commercial and it seemed vaguely familiar, and I find I'm starting to remember it now. I think I'm really remembering it and not just making it up retroactively, but who knows.
Tigerlily would make a good photobomb animal accessory for many of your outfits. You like animal prints and mixed patterns and she has both.
Tam, glad to have polluted your mind with weird 80s candy commercials. And oh man, TL would be an AWESOME photo companion, but my photog skills/equipment are definitely not yet up to doing her justice.
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