I’ve been on a perpetual hunt for summer-appropriate clothing for my entire adult life. I am forever the one wearing a cardigan, jeans and boots in 90° weather. I don’t have seasonal wardrobe changes — my only concessions to outdoor temperature are sandals in summer and heavier scarves in winter. I own “summer scarves.” I don’t like to show much skin, and I just don’t think I’m ever going to feel like myself in a dress or skirt (and believe me, I have tried). Wearing a regular t-shirt without anything over it is WAY too risqué for me. So. Many. Issues. I embrace them. Why fight your anxieties?
Enter Mary Meyer clothing, handmade in Brooklyn! I love, love, LOVE Mary’s stuff. So far I’ve only bought one dress, but her summer 2013 collection is so fantastic that I’m going to have to pick out a couple of things to add to my (tiny) wardrobe. I’m having a hard time narrowing down my wishlist, but my top contenders are the Beach Biggie, this Cap Dress and Sahara Pants (probably the closest I’ll ever get to wearing shorts). The dresses are actually the length I like my shirts to be, so I can pair them with skinny jeans and ankle boots, oxfords or sandals and feel totally comfortable. In the fall and winter, I can just put a cardigan on top! See? There’s no such thing as seasonal clothing in my world. Layers ahoy!
p.s. Yes, there are Mary Meyer clothes for boys, too! I’ll sneak a tee shirt for Evan into my order, too. I have a feeling he’d like this Black Ascent one.
And on a more personal (and highly tangential) note…
When I woke up on Wednesday morning, the only thing I could think about was that the Supreme Court was going to be ruling on the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 ballot measure. It’s no secret where I stand politically, socially and ethically when it comes to equal rights, and I wanted to dress for the occasion — one I hoped would be a celebration. And so, this Mary Meyer dress covered with pink triangles was IT! (This particular print isn’t available anymore, but it’s the “Biggie” style for fit reference.)
Kind of a funny segue from a post about clothing, I suppose, but that’s alright. Whatever gets you there.
It’s been two years since I wrote this post about the New York Senate legalizing gay marriage in my state, and it feels SO good to know that my friends in California are now afforded the same rights. The death of DOMA has set the stage for the remaining 31 37 states in the US to follow us down a path of greater humanity. Let’s do this.
18 Comments
Love this collection! I am going to check out her men’s stuff. Love you too, and thank you for your support!
♥ ♥ ♥
Feel the exact same way. I too wear “summer scarves” and jeans and cardigans. You are not alone!! These are nice pieces. Another one I really like is http://www.oakandfort.com/ oak + fort out of Vancouver. Simple clothes, well made and not too pricey.
PS. everybody has the right to marry whomever they want. Glad the US is seeing this!
a dangerous post on payday. buying dresses now!
I agree with Monica. This is very dangerous post on payday. I wasn’t go to spend any money this month…that didn’t last long.
But it’s the end of the month! You almost made it! TREAT YO SELF.
Enabler…
😉
Oh, my – I love everything about this post. I too sport summer scarves when it becomes medically necessary to forswear my regular scarves for the summer. I too avoid showing basically any skin at all – upper arms, knees, etc. Tip: I found a photo gallery recently (on The Cut, maybe?) of stylish young Orthodox Jewish women in New York and how they satisfy expectations of modesty (legs, clavicles, and arms to the elbows covered, plus covered hair for married women) without sacrificing personal style. A couple of them even started an inexpensive clothing line aimed at other Orthodox women who have limited budgets (as in, 5 kids at age 25) but cannot buy the micro-mini stuff from fast fashion chains. I cannot claim to be very stylish but I was so inspired by their outfits. I’m Jewish (extremely socially-liberal Reform, not Orthodox) but it was just generally awesome to effectively be looking at a street style blog where all the subjects are rocking long sleeves and layers. I am lucky to live in Seattle aka Layer Town. Now, how to stay cool when the temperatures shoot up to the 90s next week…
Oh, and of course I loved the Supreme Court shoutout as well. I’m a Californian and all I feel about the long-awaited implosion of Prop 8 is relief! Now, if only they hadn’t decimated the Voting Rights Act the day before…
Agreed, re: the Voting Rights Act ruling. Not to mention SB5 in Texas, which, despite Wendy Davis’ phenomenal filibuster, is going to be back on the table eventually. And the Zimmerman trial…sigh. It’s been a rollercoaster of a week in the US judicial system, for sure.
I’m off to search for that blog! I’m probably too much of a tomboy, but it sounds interesting anyway. 🙂
Obviously you have excellent style, and you always look great in the photos you post… But how do you manage in the heat? I’m a sweaty mess if I have to walk or bike somewhere in the summer. Do you find you stay indoors during the hottest hours?
I don’t manage! I am a gross, sweaty mess all the time. I wish I was kidding!
I’m so into shirts with geometric prints like this! Reminds me a bit of Camp Brand clothing, which is more for camping and outdoors but still same geometric shape concept.
Also, another shout out to the death of DOMA here… I figured it was only a matter of time before people realized how unconstitutional (not to mention hateful) it was.
Sadly it’s 37 not 31 states that need to step up and recognize same sex marriage.
I’m an inappropriate season dresser too, summer is the worst for it!
Ana, thank you, I’m not sure what was going on with my math!
Edit: I think I was just counting the states that have bans against same-sex marriage written into their state constitutions. But you’re right — there are 6 states in between. However we count the numbers, we have a long way to go!
fashonable orthodox women
http://fashionista.com/2013/05/orthodox-jewish-women-find-new-ways-to-be-fashionable-in-crown-heights/dsc_0193-2/
Beautiful clothing! I LOVE that top left dress. I don’t do seasonal clothing either, I just add a cardigan and tights to ‘shorter’ stuff in the colder seasons.
Lovely clothing in black, gray palette of colors. I prefer to add some color to my outfit so I can add using some accessories. Thanks for sharing stuff.