#skirts Archives - Northern California Style

On this Weekend’s Meanderings..Skirts for your fall closet, skirted tables for home, a fascinating book on skirts in history, easy pumpkin noodles, and a drought tolerant yard update..

It’s time for our weekend chat and sharing of good things with my friends Elizabeth and Juliet.. We had some days of rain here this week in Northern Cal, which were wonderful and I even did some baking.. Now this weekend, we are back to the heat and though I wore pants and a jacket on Wednesday, by Thursday that was a mistake.

…So it’s a typical California Fall! Hold off on wearing those new sweaters yet friends unless you want to pass out..As my mom used to say, ‘layers and peel’ for a while yet.

In my SLOW fall rollout, I added one of the pretty pumpkins from PB thanks to my sweet friend Jill who gave me the cutest one.. They look great next to my candlesticks from Juliet!

I also love these woven frames from PB that just went on sale.. and would look cute next to these.

I’ve had skirts on the mind..of all flavors..

The Skirts Book

My friend Linda told me about Skirts by Kimberly Crisman Campbell, thinking I may enjoy it ! I ordered it straightaway and it’s so fun and interesting. If you like history, and fashion, you will really get into this engrossing book that touches on the skirt and fashion’s part in politics, sports, and women’s rights..

Suzanne and Queen Mary- National Portrait Gallery

I especially enjoyed the chapter on Suzanne Lenglen, the French tennis player who brought the short skirts, sport shoes( a forerunner to a sneaker), and sleeveless tops to tennis around 1920. Called a streetwalker by some for her unencumbered and chic attire she developed with the help of Jean Patou, she inspired a generation of women to dress more modernly and take up tennis. So many fascinating stories in this book! You can buy it here at Target or on Amazon or check a local bookseller!

Skirts on my Fall Edit..

I am thinking of adding a skirt or two to the closet for fall. This zebra stripe from J. Crew has been on my radar. Love the pleats and it’s an extra 50% off this weekend.

I also have been wanting a longer denim skirt with some flair that can be worn sort of slouchy with a sweater and sneakers and this Joe’s Jeans version is on sale now (extra 25% too ),

Other lovelies to add versatility to your mix are this Mother vegan wrap skirt, and this version by Joe’s Jeans…

..Also this denim maxi by Rag & Bone, this Veronica Beard Mini, and black denim by Wash Lab.

Also cool..this Chevron Style with a drawstring, this Madewell classic on sale, and this Old Navy Maxi in black denim.

Table skirts are back

Remember when table skirts were all the rage and everyone had one near the end of their couch with pictures and books? My mom had one made to match our chintz rose couch pillows (along with pink stripe couches of course), back in the late 80’s, and I have always liked them.

I have one right now in my office that I created using a table someone on our street was giving away for free. I wasn’t sure how well the wood worked in the house, so I threw one of my Pottery Barn table throws on it and it looks pretty, and I store more books under it too. As a nod to my mom, I added an ivy as she always had, and a few of my favorite books and a frame with my sons on a holiday..

I’m obsessed with entry skirted tables and I love the look and I am thinking of adding one in my large open space in the center of your home. You can make any round table of a smaller dimension become a skirted table by using a tablecloth or even any kind of throw or smaller blanket.

Pottery Barn has a nice selection and I have this one as well and I like this French Stripe version, this Suzani one. For one similar to mine, these on Etsy are very close. Mine was an older season from PB.

An inspiring and pretty home in AD

Well right away this Hampton’s home of photographer Mimi Ritzen Crawford in AD by Studio Riga had me with the darling entry and skirted table..Isn’t this beautiful? Love the trim especially..

I think what drew me to this home is the mix of patterns, unique objects, natural woven objects and overall light happy atmosphere.. You can follow the designer, Jenny Vorhoff on Instagram.

Love this pale pink dining room, these Serena & Lily beds in a fun bedroom.

I’m obsessed with the yellow gingham in the beautiful dining space!

More of the beautiful home here.

Our drought tolerant yard update…

So many people have been changing their yards up this year due to the heat, drought and climate change that is only getting worse. If you have been following the blog for a few years, you may have read how we changed our lawn to a drought tolerant landscape almost three years ago. It’s truly been the best decision and so easy to maintain.

Now three years on, a few of the plants need replacing, have grown too large and others need some big time cutting back. We are embarking on a small refresh this month and adding more of the DG (decomposed granite) ground cover… I thought I’d share it again as we have people every week stopping by by taking photos and asking about the plants, especially the past month! More about the journey and how a few of our neighbors also rebuilt their front yards during the pandemic on this post.

At first people were telling me it looked like an Arizona landscape, but it didn’t take long for the bushes to fill in..

before and at the start..

drought tolerant yard with decomposed granite

We use no pesticides or weed killers, trim it about every three months, sometimes less, and use minimal water. Since Max works from home most days, he’s got a full time bird and butterfly show out there. The small birds love the bushes and we added a birdhouse and a feeder on his office window so it’s a constant entertainment and a lot of fun.

Max has this bird feeder and getting fresh black sunflower seeds from our local bird shop really brought all the birds.

Pumpkin noodles

A few years ago my friend Debbie shared a wonderful pumpkin pasta recipe that crazy easy and a lot of fun and I thought if you tried our home made pasta from last week’s blog, you may want to try this as we are slowly.. getting around to pumpkin season!

The recipe is from food blog Wholefully…

The recipe is simply pumpkin puree (I used the Whole Foods one with only pure pumpkin), and flour, mixed by hand, turned out and cut into thin strips. You can let them dry a bit and pop them in a pot of boiling, well salted water until they float.

There is an accompanying recipe for sage browned butter which is exactly what you want on this plus a little fresh grated Parmeggiano-Reggiano. It’s the perfect fall dinner and total comfort food. To make it totally vegan leave off the cheese and use butter substitutes she recommends for the sauce. Full recipe and details here. My lower-tech version, without rolling cutter or drying rack above…. Still came out wonderful. I just forgot to take pictures!

…….

It’s been such a busy week, but I hoped you didn’t miss this gorgeous post about the Allure of Green Kitchens by Juliet! It made me want one!

Max and I have been watching the new Ken Burn’s documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust. It’s excellent and while we thought we knew what happened, we really didn’t. I would encourage everyone to watch it. As with all his projects, so engrossing and well done.

Well that is my weekend meanderings for this week.. Please check out Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs to see what good things they are sharing…

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

PINECONES AND ACORNS

Thank you for being here! Hope your weekend is wonderful,

Kim

On my last Weekend Meanderings I shared Homemade pasta noodles, inspiration bulletin boards, a great book with some unexpected charcuterie ideas, and Madewell sale pieces you’ll want to add to the closet..and more!

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Welcome to August’s Signature Style post ! This month we are talking skirts. I think this is a timely post as they are the ultimate transition piece bridging the gap between seasons. We could all use some good skirts in our closets and I’ll show you a few ways to style the ones you might already have- and a few you might want to add to your closet!

I’ve been wanting to add a few longer midi or maxi skirts to my closet for a while, so this post was a great time to do it. The skirts I found I can wear for an upcoming anniversary getaway with the hubs, but also for fall and winter.

First up is a fun gingham tiered skirt. This can be dressy for a party or dinner paired it with a floaty tank, long pearls and and some skinny strapped flats.

This skirt is from TopShop and is no longer available, but I found similar gingham versions here at Bloomingdales, this cute version with pockets. The shell tank is from a past season, but a very close version in white or black here. Isn’t the gingham kind of fun?

The modern sandal was from Everlane years ago, but an nearly identical (maybe even better version) here at TKEES. I’m thinking of getting the tan too. I love that their sandals come in skin colors of all shades, so pretty.

When fall is here I’ll pair it with my camel color J Crew jacket, black sneakers and my Burberry bag.. If I’m out I’ll add my black fedora . I like the idea of keeping the outfit all tan, black and white. The idea is to take a ‘dressier’ type skirt like this and make it work for daytime with sportier accessories. Why not use it, if it’s a cute skirt instead of letting it gather dust in the off seasons?

The second skirt I bought is pleated black classic skirt. A black long black skirt is a hugely versatile piece for your wardrobe. Ive had a black skirt on my radar for a while and I found this Max Studio pleated version at The Nordstrom Rack. It’s a pull-on with a built in slip. Pleated skirts are very popular now and there’s a Tahari version too.

I will wear it on vacation with my favorite Cinq a Sept silky black tank, Tory Burch black sandals and a black bag. To make it more casual add some chunky sandals and a cotton t-shirt or even a sweatshirt.

When the weather turns chilly, I can pair this with a chunky sweater, a moto jacket, sneakers or some combat boots. I just bought the Zadig & Voltaire sweater for fall on pre-sale here at Bloomies. My sneakers are super comfy and on sale here.

My third skirt is a super soft pull floral skirt. I had to buy this because it felt so good on and I knew I would want to wear it a lot. These pull on bias cut types remind me of the skirts I wore so much as a working gal in the 90’s.. Bias skirts flatter most everyone and though look tight, don’t feel like it at all. This one falls around the calf and for that reason is more casual.

I paired it with a white tank and a white linen blazer (similar here), leather flip-flops and a cross-body (here in natural and in black.) This could work for a sightseeing day of travel in a city or a dinner out. I also love floral skirts with khaki and paired it with an older bomber jacket and the same sneakers. This is a great early fall look!

And just for fun, I added a graphic t-shirt. I love the look of a skirt paired with a fun t-shirt and sneakers. Just as easy as jeans and a t, but a lot more stylish and cute. Similar fun pull-on printed skirts here at Bloomies, and this one at Anthropologie, and this at J Crew.

Considering what to add to the closet and use throughout the year, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of a floral or cute print skirt and a classic black one. I really love the midi and longer lengths now and they look modern!

Here’s a few more standouts in the skirt category to consider..

I absolutely love this Madewell pull on daisy skirt made of upcycled polyester. I’d wear it with slides and a white button up and in fall just as they show with sneakers and a sweater..

I also think this pull on drawstring skirt would be easy and flattering for so many. It’s got one shirt side slit and because of the drawstring, it’s easy to adjust the fit. This is a very versatile and cute print! I love how they show it with the modern sandals.

Similar modern sandals as above- here ,here and with a stripe and with a contrasting sole.

For now, and into fall how sweet is this Madewell button-front tiered skirt? The color and pattern are so pretty.

This pull on leopard skirt from the J Crew factory is an easy go-to! Love it with the denim jacket.

Lastly, this wrap skirt from J. Crew is just adorable. I’d wear this with clogs and a sweater in autumn! I may have worn a similar outfit in third grade..

I hope you enjoyed my dive into skirts. I’d love to hear do you love them or not? Which skirts are your favorite? They are such an easy and feel-good piece to wear more often. Don’t forget about them! I’ll addd more skirts to this post when good ones pop up.