knit knit

Fall is finally here! A week of chilly mornings and craving for spiked hot chocolate got me looking into apparel options for winter. My love affair with knitwear began in childhood. My aunt is a very talented knitter. She used to knit everyone's sweater every winter in front of the TV. She'd take apart and wash last year's sweater, rewind it into balls of yarn and start fresh. As a child I paraded many of her designs around proudly, received plenty of compliments, and never envied anyone for their sweaters. My aunt doesn't knit anymore, so years ago I purchased a knitted sweater for the first time. It is very much what she would have knitted and is still the most coveted item in my closet, with its multiple snags from too much wear. I am a sucker for nubby, chunky sweaters/cardigans. They remind me of Scotland (in my imagination). In my imagination I'd wear a rugged fisherman's sweater, shearling, suede, knee high boots in deliciously aged brown hide... Anyway, when Prada FW2010 came out I didn't pay much attention except to those nubby socks/tights. But it has since crawled back into my consciousness and I can't think of anything else but the chunky knitwear and that oh so skinny patent leather bow tie belt! The contrast works wonders on both. So I indulged in a little shopping, OK, a big shopping therapy - VIRTUAL. So here are my outfits that don't cost a dime. What do you think? By the way, I recommend to any recovering shopaholics to do virtual shopping. Just pick out the clothes, drop them onto the wish list and amaze yourself with how much you would have spent. That usually nips the shopping desire right in the bud.

The look that started it all


I am enamored with the whole belted oversized sweater look. The sweater skirt is simply divine. Anthropologie has a very affordable one. I am also in the mood for leather, the soft, perfectly aged kind made into a swing skirt. Footwear is tough. Boots are the predictable choice, but you can't go wrong with a pair of patent leather loafers, right? Just the right amount of geek chic.