What I'm wearing today

It's been a while since I have entertained you with what I'm wearing! So here are a few outfits I've put together lately! Most of those things are not new, but since I have no opportunity for wearing lovely clothes in public, I'm just wearing them at home now (mmm...apart from the coat).

Cosy Uniqlo coat for when it gets colder. And for when I can go out sketching again! Although that could be summer!!

Gudrun Sjoden tunic, cardigan and scarf, Boden skirt, Strive pumps

Gudrun Sjoden skirt, dress and leggings, Strive sandals, scarf from RDS craft fair

Repurposed kimono and obi!

A million thanks to my wonderful friend Máire who managed to make this beautiful dress out of my kimono.

Like most women who go to Japan, I bought a kimono. I was with Véronique and she knew this wonderful second-hand kimono shop in Hamamatsu. I was reluctant at first but she insisted I couldn't come to Japan and not buy a kimono. And there was this beautiful silk one with a simple modern pattern and I couldn't resist. A few days later, I bought a second-hand obi in Tokyo. But of course I never wore them, except once at home to take a few photos. And it sat in my wardrobe for all those years (2011, the year of the big Tohoku earthquake and tsunami).

So I decided something needed to be done. My friend Máire did fashion in NCAD and she is involved in theatre in Sligo, often making the costumes for the plays she's working on. I knew she would be the best person to take on this project. I found a dress I liked on a Japanese website and she adapted a pre-existing pattern to create this beautiful dress.

Now I just need restaurants to re-open so I can parade it somewhere outside of our backyard! 

I did manage to find a few pictures of me wearing the kimono. I know there's a video somewhere of the shop assistant showing us how to put on the obi. I will find it some day!

What I'm wearing today

It's been a while since I've written any entries in this category. Maybe I've just been wearing the same old things. But today I was quite excited by the look I achieved, so thought it worth sharing with you guys.

Buykud denim skirt
Old grey thermal top
Nepal cashmere scarf (bought in the market in Ghent)
Newton DocMartens boots (never too old to get your first pair of DocMartens I told myself!)

My wardrobe for Porto?

Another assignment for SketchingNowWatercolour. Lots of fun. And I can see how this could be useful in terms of planning a travelling wardrobe. I can see instantly, for instance that I don't have enough tshirts, that that blue cardigan won't go with the dresses, and that I will be the most colourful sketcher in Porto. A few changes will have to be implemented. Plenty of time!

The Urban Sketcher

A brief revival of the "What I'm wearing today" series. (Roadkill hat bought in New Zealand 10 years ago, Costelloe+Costelloe scarf, Dunnes Stores long coat, mittens, jeans, boots, warm socks. Thermal underwear not shown). Never mind the thermals, I hear you say - but 'roadkill hat'? Really? Yes, really. It's 10 years old. And I bought it in New Zealand, at Lake Tekapo. It's a wool hat, made from the fur of small animals killed on the roads. Another memory of Lake Tekapo was an amazing sushi lunch. I don't think I ever ate so much sushi in my life! I wasn't a sketcher then, or I would have the evidence!
Sketching in Dublin in the winter is not for the faint-hearted - but at least it's not -35C, so my fingers are still attached. I just had to move to stay in the sun and keep warm. We rarely get temperatures below 0C actually, but the damp and the wind present extra challenges.
This outfit is actually not that different from what I wear for about 10 months of the year. I sketch all year round. No point in waiting for the good weather or even summer. It may not show up for a few years. Dublin is not LA.

What I bought with my voucher!

In case you're bored with my goings-on about pigments and watercolour papers, here is a little diversion!

Remember I won the prize for the Nation Paints on RTE, the mini-competition accompanying Painting the Nation (which was won by Hazel Higgins, a young Sligo woman, who was a student of my good friend Máire Hynes, a ledge of an art teacher, according to her student ratings on RateMyTeacher.ie, by the way!)? Well, that One4All voucher has been burning a hole in my pocket since I received it. Since the main art stores in Dublin are not covered by the voucher, I had to have a think about what to do with it? Grocery shopping in SuperValu? Pet supplies for my four-legged friends? Make-up from Boots? A spa day? A weekend away? A nice meal out? Difficult choices.

Most of all, I wanted to get lots of things, not just one big thing. And what do I do when I want value for money?
I go to TKMaxx!!
I tried 10 different tops and knitwear and I narrowed it down to three items.
With still plenty of money on the voucher, I headed to Schuh and got myself a pair of Sketchers pumps. Then to Fat Face where I bought a gorgeous teal top.
And I still have over €75 left on the voucher!

What I'm wearing today

Well, I was wearing these clothes around Christmas, but I didn't get around to posting the pictures, so there you go!

Zara top

Levi's Outlet jeans

Buykud dress

Clarks boots

Chinese Black dress - What I'm wearing today

Well, not strictly today. But that's what I wore on New Year's Eve. And it is now officially my favourite dress. Ever. It was a complete impulse buy - a site advertised on Facebook. I didn't know if it was Japanese, Korean or Chinese. Chinese it turns out. Buykud. I'm not even sure how to pronounce it. But I love their dresses - big and flowy. And just what I wanted. Good quality too. And reasonably priced. And they came via DHL (no extra cost) all the way from China. I've also bought three summer dresses that I can't wait to wear (yes, Cathy, that's what I bought with my art sale!). I've never felt more me in a dress!

What I'm wearing today

It's been a while since I've posted my outfits of the day. I bought some coloured tights in M&S recently, which have given a new lease of live to my black skirts. So here are the outfits I've been wearing lately:

Boden skirt

Boden coat

M&S tights

Boden skirt

M&S tights

M&S maroon top

Japanese scarf

Choice top

Levi's Outlet jeans

Maroon Clarks shoes

Black jeans

Grey cardigan

Fatface grey poloneck

Necklace from the V&A a few years ago

Boden skirt

M&S tights

Lidl stripy top (purple and green)

Fatface Turquoisy scarf

What I'm wearing today - 29 August 2016

Green t-shirt - can't remember where I got it, it's so long ago, but it's a nice green!

Levi's Outlet jeans

Boden platforms (again, bought many years ago, on impulse - they are actually quite cosy, but only really go with that teeshirt!)

What I'm wearing today - 23 May 2016

That was yesterday, actually, as showers were forecast. 

Boden trenchcoat

Boden stripy teeshirt

Levi's Outlet jeans 

Clarks pumps

What I'm wearing today - 1 May

At long last, the cold winter seems to be over, and I can emerge from my big heavy jumpers!

Levi's Outlet jeans

Clarks pumps

Boden top

Boden cashmere short cardi

Pendant (gift)

What I'm wearing today - 7 April

M&S black t-shirt 

Benetton black cardigan 

Scarf from Kashmir (gift)

Levi's Outlets jeans

Finally able to fold my big heavy winter jumpers!

What I'm wearing today - 4 March 2016

Nothing for 3 March. Some days are like that. It's not that I was wearing nothing. A bit cold for that. But the pace of the day was not under my control. Things had to be rescheduled.

And I haven't drawn any outfits since then. But then, I did four sketches in the Natural history Museum on Sunday, although that doesn't mean I can stay without drawing for 4 days, does it? The thing is, I'm trying to draw every day, even if it's just a quick sketch, because the more I draw, the more confident I become (not confident in real life, but confident in my drawing).  But there are no rules as such. I haven't taken any pledge or anything - yet (there is this 75-day challenge I'm thinking of embarking on).

Plus, it's been cold, and I've been wearing the same jumpers over and over.

What I'm wearing today - 2 March 2016

It's been cold. Chunky jumpers is what I've been wearing.

What I'm wearing today - 1 March 2016

Better

What I'm wearing today - 29 February 2016

Not my best look

What I'm wearing today - 27 February 2016

I'm currently experimenting with different ways of telling a story (Storytelling, Sketchbook Skool). 

One of the suggestions in this week's class is to illustrate recipes - So not me!

Another was to draw your breakfast - I eat porridge every morning. And I really don't think porridge looks good, even in watercolours. Plus I don't want it to be completely cold by the time I get to actually eat it. By which time we have a big boy here who is pining for his walkies.

Instead, as I mentioned the other day, I decided to pick up the thread on What I'M Wearing Today - WIMWT. I will be exploring different ways of telling that story. Well, not much of a story, but that's really the only thing I can think of for now. I'm not very good at drawing from imagination, as you can see from the skirt, top and cardigan below. But I'm rather pleased with how the handbag came out (I did place it on the desk in front of me while drawing - that always helps. I was wearing the clothes already at that point, so I decided to simplify them). Maybe I should try to draw in the style of fashion designers?

Will definitely have to do something about the handwriting. My real handwriting (cursive, I mean) is hard to read, so over the years, I've got into the habit of block lettering. But it's too anonymous, isn't it? And not very pretty.

So, let's summarise:

Things I like about this drawing:

1. The handbag and the shoes, drawn from life (is that even the right term for inanimate objects?)
2. The border. Framing the drawings brings the whole thing together
3. The text giving context
4. The vertical format for the date
5. My signature in a little box

Things I will explore further:

1. Using my cursive handwriting to tell the story
2. Drawing in fashion designer style - not sure how to do that yet!

What I'm wearing today - 28 February 2016

Quick quick post. Lots of things still to do - study Japanese, do the laundry. But I decided to give priority to drawing today, because I felt I was on a slippery slope - I haven't done any serious drawing in a week. And doubts can creep in.

So, I decided to revive one of my old blog categories - What I'm wearing today - with a twist. 

What does K.I.S.S. mean, you may ask. Keep It Simple, Stupdid (something I learned in Sketchbook Skool today)

K.I.S.S. is a great excuse for not drawing my eyes, nose and chin - all difficult features. It works for me.

Knitting

It's a long time since I've done any knitting. My granny (Marraine Flore) was a constant knitter - jumpers, scarves, coats. Even in her old age, she was still knitting these little foot warmers that were impossible to walk with. She taught me how to knit (we also learned in primary school - I remember a scarf, but that's about it). And crochet too. Both very handy for making clothes for my dolls, Barbies primarily. And I knew how to crochet a rose. All skills long forgotten. I did knit a jumper or two when I first came to Ireland - an strawberry red cotton jumper comes to mind.

But why am I talking about knitting all of a sudden? Why not drawing, painting or opera? Well today I'm wearing a beautiful scarf knitted by a friend, Cathy (check out her blog: bake-a-yarn.blogspot.com). I love the colour of it, and the twist. And it reminded me of my knitting days.