What did you wear on New Year’s Eve?
A black dress and pearls? Pyjamas and fleece? (or “Pyammies,” as a Swedish accent will sometimes pronounce the word?)
I believe that New Year’s Eve can be a time to stretch our horizons. The archetypal liminal moment. A threshold. Where you get a brief hall pass from societies on either side, leaving you free to cavort as you will. A faerie, even, spangled.
Around here, this translates to, You May Dress Like A Rocker If You Choose To. So I did. Please suspend disbelief. In the liminal phase there is no disbelief, only existence.
A few weeks ago I won a giveaway hosted by Mary Jo Matsumoto of Trust Your Style. She asked us how we dress our inner rocker. Since Rock the Casbah, by the Clash, remains my favorite anthem of type, I had to enter the contest. Lo and behold, I won this ANAMA shirt.
Which presented a dilemma. I couldn’t go out wearing the tights on this model, as you can understand, but nor could I wear said shirt with any of the pants in my closet. Not with Levi’s 501s, not with 7 for All Mankind “Ginger” flares, not with Armani or Banana Republic trousers, nor even nameless Southern California hotel gift store khakis. In fact, this shirt required leggings.
Leggings.
Please understand that I had managed to dress my way through the 00s without leggings. Without, even, skinny jeans. I’m long-torsoed, so straight or skinny leg coverings ended ungracefully and prematurely at my feet. That was, until December 31st, 2010. The decade’s last gasp.
These were on sale at Neiman Marcus Last Call. 50% off retail.
I wore them with the ANAMA tee, a black shapewear tank, my trusty Louboutin Simple 70s, gold Swedish antique chandelier earrings, and this family locket. We don’t actually know who that baby is, dressed in the white gown, but he’s related.
“Wait!”
You are saying, “Wait!”
You are saying, “Don’t think you can get off so easily! Don’t think you can distract me with your High WASP artifacts. I clicked through. I saw the detail on those leggings. That is SNAKESKIN! Faux snakeskin, understood, snakeskin in pattern only, but SNAKESKIN nevertheless.” You fall silent. Cross your arms. Look at me with raised eyebrow, foot tapping.
Liminal means out of time, out of place. In that moment between one year and the next, all that matters is the person with whom you cross the threshold. And if they, when asked, reply, “Yes, honey, it looks good,” to whom else must you answer?
That said, I’m feeling quite in need of the color blue this week. Navy and perhaps a nice sweater from L.L. Bean. Doors open, light crosses into the dark, one enters the room. Happy 2011. May we all find a threshold when we need one.
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58 Responses
I wore leggings on NYE, as well – alas no faux snakeskin, just knit, with big, black button snaps running the outside of each leg from ankle to knee. (They’re my favorite pair of pants at the moment, actually.) Topped with a ribbed, black cotton tank and a diaphanous, oversized, collared purple over-shirt with 3/4 length sleeves and zippered pockets at the hip.
Good heavens…you’ve got me all talking fashion and stuff.
My New Years Eve consisted of an antibotic and NyQuil chaser and flannel, but don’t think you will get off that lightly my dear….we politely request photographs.
You are so fabulous. I’m sure you looked divine.
I spent New Year in Carpenteria with two girlfriends wearing Indian raw silk pajamas, one pearly white, one fuchsia pink from Govinda, the Hari Krishna store in LA. My LBD felt quite plain in comparison.
Happy New Year, my lovely blogging friend.
Miss W x
At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.
I can only say, there we have been: but I cannot say where.
And I cannot say, how long, for that is to place it in time.
T.S.E., Four Quartets, Burnt Norton, II, 16-23
(Skinny jeans, striped Madewell tee, grey sweater, grey boots, bourbon, concentration, eau de fireworks, glee)
Also, I’m sure you looked QUITE marvelous.
Also, the locket is divine.
Also, we would like you to wear the cuff again soon and let us see it.
I’m sure you looked fabulous! As for me, it was PJ’s and cuddle time with the kiddos and hubs. A quiet, terrific, happy new year.
It would be great to see a picture of you in this outfit…sounds nice…New Years eve found me in sweats, hanging with my husband and the little’s and then drinking champaigne and watching movies with my husband…I was the driver for my adult kids and their friends that night…dropped them off up town and then picked them up at the end of the night. Normally they would have walked but the cold and snow kept them from doing so. Happy 2011!
Smokin’… I’m loving your liminal look, Lisa. Congratulations on winning that competition. (I heart Rock the Casbah, too.)
On NYE I wore red – lots of red. Soft dark red cuffed trousers (too baggy for leggings, but close cousins), a dark red vest – wait, not a waistcoat, an undershirt? – with a bright red patterned dress over it. Red and black stripey socks, bright red lace-up shoes, and a dark red jacket.
So great — I’m sure you looked fabulous and felt wonderfully transgressive, such fun! By coincidence, I spent yesterday afternoon reading through a paper on tattoos vis-a-vis the Guattarian dis-organized body — much academic-speak for essentially that liminal space you’re gesturing to/from.
I wore a leopard v-neck cashmere sweater over a very funky black felted-wool full skirt (it was cold here!) but planned to change into black leggings and sequinned tank with grey cardigan to walk to a party up the road after our tete-a-tete at home — instead, about 11:15 we admitted the truth, I changed to pjs and we went to bed with our books. Sad, but true . . .
Lisa I love your attitude!!
I stayed in , we watched a movie, Champagne later of course! Lounging in long Cashmere sweater and comfy yoga pants w ballet flats…. it was perfect for me!
Xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Thank you for a new word.
I’m afraid i took the pj’s fleece and socks option, it’s been too cold to think about pretty clothes.
I’m sure you “rocked” the outfit and looked fabulous! I wore a black cocktail dress and shoes that killed my feet. But, the champagne was flowing, so it made me think less about the shoes. ;) Happy New Year, my friend!
I kept scrolling for a photo of you – next time? I’m sure you looked wonderful. I wore a sequined shift dress with gold leather ballet flats, a black cardigan, and dangly gold earrings. No boundaries were pushed, but comfort matters.
I wore black pointe leggings, black V neck top with dipped points at the sides and a greya nd black Gilmore sweater with waterfall front and grossgrain ribbon tied at the back…dinner at home with house guests and friends….oh and sequined flats!
Your NYE ensemble sounds like fun and somehow I feel that you have pushed the WASP envelope ever so slightly :)
Sounds like a lovely, liminal look. I went for a glammed up rocker look too (but without the leggings). An old vintage black velvet jacket, cigarette pants, a nude ruffle shirt and black patent kitten heels. Oh and my diamanté earrings.
Happy 2011.
I am so thrilled that you threw caution to the wind (well sort of, after all Louboutins can smooth over a great variety of sins) and wore leggins with your rocker tee! I actually looked at mine for a moment on NYE in my closet and thought ‘but I don’t have anything to wear it with’…so instead went with an ikat wrap dress, black stockings and trusty Miu Mius. WIshing you all happiness this first week of the new year–and yes, I’d love to see a photo of you clad in your inner rocker best!
xoxo Mary Jo
your outfit sounds beautiful. i would have LOVED to see a pic of you in it. it’s so great when women over 50 push the envelope so to speak.
i was in a v non-glamorous ski parka, pants and full face mask night skiing in utah with jack white blaring in my ears. i didn’t look v great but i had a lot of fun.
here’s to a NEW year.
xo
janet
I had a quiet NYE at home, so no special outfit this year.
Love the rocker look. I also find myself drawn back to the navy comfort zome after wearing an outfit that falls into the liminal zone.
Another homebody here, dinner with the husband and children. Can’t even remember what I wore. But I love the description of your outfit. You must have looked FINE – and not the way your mother says, “You look fine, dear,” but FINE!
Admire your willingness to throw caution to the wind but I’m sure you looked mahvelous. And LOVE the beautiful locket. I was at home in cashmere pants and sweater – low key yet presentable.
to thresholds.
(black american apparel dress, silver rag & bone cardigan, tobi wong dime necklace, black tights, black frye motorcycle boots, $20 i won from the boys playing new year’s eve poker)
Whatever ANYONE wore, I’m sure it didn’t touch this. That is some sexy tunic, Lisa!
I started out in leggings/tunic, then changed to a black jersey dress with a silver sweater. It fit the mood!
hmmm, lessee if I can remember, oh yeah, I wore and black and white ruffles around the v-neck and sleeves dress with black tights and black heels and sorta big sparkly-dangly earrings–I was going for romantic-boho-chic with a touch of glam–don’t think I made it though.oh well. My friends and I (who are of a certain age–ok 50s!) don’t get dressed up much-but they dressed like they were going to a job interview so they probably thought I looked silly.
I’m sure you looked fabulous and perfect for embracing the joy of that moment between old and new as well as for having fun.
I’m afraid I stayed in a with a book and a cozy sweater. It has been too long since I’ve been out celebrating.
Brave soul with those leggings! The end result must have been very chic. I too purchased a liminal frock for New Year’s Eve but didn’t end up wearing it, as our plans changed. I’m saving the little sequined number for another occasion; hope I can muster my inner rock star as confidently as you did.
Ha, I was sitting around with my right foot propped up. Tore all the cartilage in the top of my right foot. Comfy clothes for me.
Indignant here that we didn’t get even a headless short of the entire ensemble.
Oh, Please do post a photo! You have such a slim figure, and must have looked fabulous!
I wore fleece on fleece, with an extra
touch of fleece in my slippers.
Happy New Year to you!
XO Candy
The outfit sounds divine – and LOVE the jewelry. Old things are great, aren’t they?
I wore a black sweater, comfortable jeans, and my aunt’s Buddha necklace.
I think you would have looked wonderful. And been super comfortable too which is always a bonus….
that sounds like an AMAZING NYE outfit. i was running late so i forgot to take a pic of what i wore – but i wore this lovely vintage sequined stripe tunic thingy over black leggings and black ankle booties. i also got an antique gold locket from an estate jewelry store last year – no pic inside, but i’m trying to figure out a cool mini photo of my favorite fam/friends to put in it. :)
oh. i also wore leggings. and a long black sweater. and my sparkly shoes i got married in. red lipstick. ponytail. red manuel clutch with the skulls + pills + sparkles on it. lots of wine + bourbon, and two glow bracelets that stayed on for 2 days.
happy new year.
absolutely love it and I hope that neither one of us ever meets a threshold!
xoox
kHm
You absolutely tickle me. That said, I’m sure your ensemble was perfect…right down to the CLs. I’ve seen you dolled up and know that it was stunning!
I opted for a crisp white shirt, a dark wash trouser jean and a crackled pewter J Crew peep-toe (with an ostentatious grograin bow on at either “peep”) named Molly.
That sounds like a fabulous outfit! I wore jeggings for the first time on New Year’s Eve. Never thought I could pull them off, but was quite pleased with how they looked with suede black boots and a pretty beaded top! Hurray for pushing our fashion boundaries!
You rock, LPC! My New Year’s outfit was a set of Brooks Brothers all cotton pajamas, a pair of Belgian shoes, a beloved Pendleton bathrobe, a cut glass tumbler of Old Tom gin on the rocks with a twist, and the Duchess of Devonshire’s autobiography. Heaven! — Reggie
Love the outfit…but the locket…fabulous!!
Well you can’t tell us all about that amazing outfit and NOT show us a photograph, can you?? ‘Good on yer Mate’ as they say in some circles here in Australia!!
I wore (as we were at a Beach theme / Hawaiin type of evening) a bright citrus tee shirt and white wide linen pants, with an orange coral necklace and a flower lei and orange sandals… I was comfortable and it was fun…! Oh, and 50’s style sunnies too. X
There’s a side of you we don’t see so often. If the person you kissed at midnight liked it, there you go!
It’s fun to wear costumes. I wore all black with accessorized with a large emerald and a maribou trimmed velvet party hat. A women stared at me all evening with that not-at-your-age look.
I had Zoe on –in my arms, over my shoulder, –on NYE. She fell fast asleep on our way home from a day with the godchildren|godparents…
I wore the wig I had used in 2007 when I lost my hair during chemotherapy treatment. My hair grew back in after the treatment stopped and the wig lay, unused, at the back of the wardrobe. I had no intention of ever wearing it again … as I thought. While getting dressed up on New Year’s Eve, though, I felt I wanted to wear my wig to our nieghborhood party. For me, wearing that wig again, “just for fun” was a sign that all the trauma that goes along with a cancer diagnosis and subsecquent treatment was over. I’ve started 2011 with a much more positive feeling than I’ve had in the last few years.
Jan – Talking fashion and sounding fab even. New years bring surprises!
Rhonda – Sorry you were sick. Oddly, no photographs exist:).
Miss Whistle – Happy New Year. I imagine your LBD was ravishing, but I too would be coveting the Hari Krishna jammies.
Amanda 1 – Well. Yes. What he said.
Amanda 2 – I can imagine now quite vividly your NYE. Can I wear the cuff with gym shorts? If yes, viewing can be arranged shortly.
Stephanie – Thanks. Cuddles are the new black:).
Lori – I suppose since I am in some version of sweats most of the time when writing, the chance to dress up seized my imagination. I would be too embarrassed to post pictures of this outfit, however, since I was almost too embarrassed to wear it:).
Pam – I particularly like the sound of a dark red jacket right about now. Thank you. Rock that Casbah every day.
Mater – I LOVE these tidbits from the academic world, the path not taken and all that. Makes me feel like I’m living that shadow life once predicted and not chosen. Your leopard and felt outfit sounds wonderful – and I confess to finding nothing sad at all about bed with books.
Karena – Thank you so much. I am happy to hear of your happy evening.
Tabitha – Yes, you all are having the Ice Age, aren’t you? Perhaps we all ought to work on vernal as the new word instead of liminal?
Jen – Ha! Medical champagne, that was:).
Julia – Comfort does matter. Meta-comfort too, over time, how much one exhorts oneself, and how much one settles in, and is the balance right.
hostess – That sweater sounds really interesting. I like the combination of grosgrain and sequins. I certainly did push the envelope and despite how much fun I had, am unlikely to repeat:).
That’s not my age – Wait! I love that! I know exactly the kind of velvet jacket you mean. We craved them in high school as the rockers wore them so often. I also love the combination of nude and black. Tres soigne, right?
Mary Jo – I find the fact that you have “trusty Miu-Mius” quite wonderful:). Thank you again!
The gardeners cottage – I love your skiing posts. I miss that – was never very good but loved it all the same. For the smell of snow if nothing else.
DocP – It’s funny, the process by which we discover where that comfort zone lies. Hmm.
Sewing – At least I felt fine. Verging on the H word. You know, Hot. Which I wouldn’t really want to TRY to do, but if it happened, I could go with the flow:).
Quintessence – Thank you dahling! Cashmere pants and sweater sounds more than presentable to me.
lauren – You do have the greatest jewelry, don’t you. I would have pasted that $20 to my forehead, I think, in a probably regrettable act of bravado/
Charlotte – It’s all about fitting the mood. Thank you.
sandra194 – Ruffles around the neck have a definite impact. I hope your friends were not the sort to think you silly, but to cheer you on in their hearts. Thank you for commenting.
Mardel – Thank you. I like books and cozy too. But that glam up and go out thing has its appeal.
Meg – I think what made me nervous was that it was more glamorous than chic, and glamor means you are trying, and I have a fear of letting it be known that I try. But, if you’re going to try, if you define success closely, you can get the excitement of knocking it out of the proverbial park.
Terri – Sorry for the lack of photos but I just couldn’t:). Even sorrier that your foot is hurt. Yikes.
Candy – Fleece cubed. Yum. Happy New Year to you too, and thank you.
Marge – That phrase, “My aunt’s Buddha necklace,” speaks volumes. Old things are great. So are aunts:).
A Farmer’s Wife – Thank you. I was pretty comfortable, although any time I put on heels I’m always a little shaky:).
miss sophie – I thank you. Your outfit sounds great – I love your style.
Naurnie – That’s on beyond rocker and out to Burning Man! Skulls, red lipstick, glow bracelets. Wonderful. Happy New Year.
QBS – Or, perhaps that neither one of us ever refuses to cross one, when we need to?
TBS – Thank you my dear. I’ve seen you in action too, and I think the white shirt, jeans, and peeptoe were spot on.
sarah – It’s funny, isn’t it, how certain garments can become a challenge of sorts. Perhaps we deserve medals:).
Reggie – Heaven! Was tartan involved?
Mydesignchic – Thank you so much!
Sarah – The sunglasses were of course the crowning touch:).
Duchesse – I don’t see that side of myself too often either;). That woman was probably just coveting your emerald. I would have been.
Buckeroomama – Aw. The sweetest accessory.
Isabel – Thank you for that story. Puts many things into perspective. Raises some awareness too. I hope all of your friends celebrated your arrival.
That lady looks so saucy! I am intimidated. I would love to wear anything other than cotton ski leggings, but I cannot get into the more fun patterns/materials/textures of this “trend” (which means it goes away soon, yes?).
Wait! That’s not you in the picture?
I have always loved that word, liminal… My anthropology professor always glossed it as “betwixt and between”, which has a nice poetic ring to it. NYE always makes me think of her, and rites of passage. Americans don’t quite have the fixed rites of passage that some cultures do, so I love that NYE is a liminal moment we all get to share once a year, one foot in the future, and one foot in the past.
I went to a very downtempo potluck… Aging industry PhDs and their children and children’s friends, all gathered together to celebrate family as they have for the last 30 years. Very warm and informal. I wore maternity jeans, maroon Dansko clogs, a 3/4 sleeve maroon turtle neck with ever so stylish buttons on the cuffs, and a large patterned grey silk scarf (my Christmas present) worn bandanna style to flatter my ever growing pregnant tummy. I’m studiously learning from Deja Pseu about scarf styling.
Worthy – I was definitely getting close to saucy. Perhaps too close, but it was fun. I do think the trend is on its last legs.
Patsy – Bwahahahahaha!
Aleatha – Congratulations on your pregnancy. All I can say is that Japanese Weekend was a godsend, 20 years ago. And I seem to remember a long sequined tunic for the holidays:).
That outfit sounds amazing. I also wanted to see photos, but regardless I’m glad you rocked it. I wore a ballerinaesque dress, complete with grey marle tank and a blue tulle skirt. little 80s black velvet ballet slippers covered in giant fake jewels, by Beverly Feldman’s Frankie and Baby. Plus, a super short pixie hairdo and orange lips. I loved it. xox
Blue tulle skirt? Blue tulle skirt? I die. Also short hair.
We didn’t do anything fancy, just went to my brother-in-law’s, where he won the “I don’t care” award for clothes with a ratty tee shirt and shorts. (In New York on Dec. 31st, mind you.)
I wore a pink bias-cut velour top with a cowl neck (lacy tank underneath), dark denim jeans, and black suede ankle boots. I’ve had the pink top for what seems like forever, and it’s starting to look a bit dingy … but I still get all sorts of compliments on it (which tells me it is not as dingy looking as my head seems to think it is), and it is a flattering top on me, so I’m reluctant to part with it or even stop wearing it.
I have worn many a loved item right to the edge of dingy. It’s the least they deserve:).
that locket (and those tights) are amazing!
I wore black cigarette pants that I’ve owned for 15 years and can now zip my smaller ass into(very YOU, I would imagine…the cigarette pants, not the big ass), black open toe Jimmy Choo pumps from years ago, and a charcoal sequined drapey/kimonoy top I bought online at Forever 21…that I had featured on my blog, but now it’s pink sequins for some reason. Pink…ugh.
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