Casual Friday: Chambray Shirt-Dress

Given my propensity to don over-sized men's shirt, particularly for the weekend, to romp and frolic, when I saw this chambray shirt dress last season at Gap, it was an obvious and easy addition to my closet; the soft material combined with a collar and key drawstring belt lend this dress a comfortable yet sleek look. Having a plethora of dresses at my service has imbued me with further creativity, as opposed to laziness and lackadaisical attitude: although they can be thrown one and worn as a single piece, I like to accessorize with new and different pieces to establish a different feel and some variety.

Foolishly, I went without tights this morning, bold, with my bare legs and high boots, only to be tricked, as usual, by the weather. The sun, and its warmth, decided to adopt a certain subtle coyness, sneak behind thick clouds, forgoing the wanton attention and mischief bestowed upon the earth earlier this week.

The darker cognac and mahogany leather of these boots is beautiful, as is the shape and structure. Despite being markedly not inexpensive, however, soon after purchasing them, and after a single wearing, the soles decided to collapse and deteriorate, which was more than disappointing when still love-drunk with a new pair of leather riding boots. I had them repaired by a local Italian shoesmith, to no true avail. They are wearable, and so I do bring them out to trot about on occasion, but for the most part, I feel betrayed by this brand.

Instead of my typical knot, I decided to wear my silk scarf as a sort of cowboy tie, with this brown stone vintage brooch as a sort of bolo. I am, generally, pleased with the effect, and the new found use for some of my larger, more decadent brooches, which can be difficult to pin as they tear delicate cloth. With quite the arsenal of both scarves and brooches, this look will be repeated for other neutral clothing pieces.

I found this brass cuff at an antique store in Ithaca; based on the uneven edges and almost medieval peasant-like craftsmanship, I believe the cuff was hand made, perhaps by a local artisan. With so many of my pieces being costume jewelry, resplendent with rhinestones and other nonsense, the earthen nature of this cuff is a different and fresh look, and though not something I would necessarily wear daily, a type of diamond in the rough, to speak in cliches, which I am thankful to have discovered.