New Threads Thursday December 15, 2011

There is nothing better, really, nothing, in this heaving weather mess that is Chicago than wearing something made from wool.

The temperatures have been fluctuating about 30 degrees over the last few days and while it seems like those highs would be welcome, it’s actually been raining and damp and unpredictable. And it’s those little fickle fingers of cold that poke, randomly, that make the high temps a joke! When, as it is forecast today, a 30 degree drop will happen…

What’s a Fashionista to do?

Put on a sweater, but of course.

Lucky for me, I’ve got something NEW and lovely to wear —

I’ve finished the crew-necked Cassidy sweater I’ve been working for a few seasons now ;p

The rainy mess we’re in means a portrait on the mannie (who’s wearing a mini-skirt for propriety’s sake and isn’t actually the right size) instead of on moi, but I wanted to see how I liked the Big Picture.

A lucky trip to the button stash found some dark mother-of-pearl buttons that merged with the hue of the fabric really well.

The tweedy yarn has lots of variations in tone; specks of blue, white, grey, yellow, even navy. Putting a plastic button on something so organic just didn’t seem fair.

Mother-of-Pearl is so lovely in that it slightly mirrors whatever background it joins but also brings its origins into play.

From the water, into the water, its surface has the same quality to reflect and mimic the color of the light around it. Even its surface looks like liquid, with endless rippling surface variations.

One of the wishes I had when I first lived in Chicago was to live in a vintage apartment building on Lake Shore Drive. I wanted to set up a camera that would take one picture a day of Lake Michigan, showing where the horizon met the water in a wide shot. Would, over time, it be possible to capture every color combination of sky and water that magically changed depending on the season, the temperature and the cloud cover?

Never – but it still fascinates me to see how on a daily basis, the one (water) reflects and is tonally shaded by the other (sky).

I think my favorite is right about now, in December when the more muted, fragile tones of blue and green appear.

This sweater has all that – lovely, slightly chilly color with luminous touches from the closures. Perfect in tone, with warmth, for this lovely time of year.