I’m Thinking About Mary Oliver Quotes and Rain…It Must Be April.

By
Shana
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14

I’m so excited to share the latest bit of gorgeousness from Jessbobess. When I told her that my head has been all over rainwear lately – but serious, work-hard-play-hard, practical AND gorgeous rainwear, she went off to work her magic…and came back with this insanely chic illustration.

 

april_2

 

YES.  Sophisticated and cool – exactly what I want to wear.  Here’s how I’d recreate:

dark_rain 2-01

 

JACKET: The North Face Laney Trench Raincoat –  While I love my K-Way windbreaker, the fact that it doesn’t cover my bum has left me cursing on many a rainy day.  I love the longer length of this North Face jacket, and the fact that it’s so comfortable to wear.  (Some raincoats are awfully stiff or not breathable….but not this one!)  Lastly, the tailoring is impeccable.  It fits in the shoulders, nips in at the waist, but I can still easily lift my arms.  And it looks so impossibly French-girl chic.  (There’s a reason so many of you swear by The North Face – I get it, I really do.)  My two favorite colors are the navy (pictured) or the khaki.  (It also comes in black, but the black doesn’t have the contrasting snaps that really add cool detail to the navy and khaki.)

SWEATSHIRT: Sub_Urban Riot Take a Hike Sweatshirt – now 40% off!

JEANS: Paige Denim in Edgemont Coated Ultra Skinny Jeans – The softest coated jeans around.  Also, the coating seems to make them more water resistant than typical denim, so this is the pair I grab on rainy days.

BOOTS: Ilse Jacobsen Hornbaek Rub Rainboots – I’ve been looking to upgrade my ancient Hunters….and I’d prefer a short silhouette.  I think these are the ones.  The only problem?  WHICH COLOR????  (Sooooo many choices – prepare to drool….)

SCARF: Sole Society Mixed Stripe Scarf – Jess’s raindrops reminded me that a little bit of color is always so welcome on a rainy day.  This scarf would do the trick nicely.

UMBRELLA: Marc Jacobs Floating Spot Umbrella – I love any sort of quirky, cheery umbrella

EYES: MAC Mineralize Eyeshawdow Duo – Since sunglasses won’t hide my eyes, adding a bit of shimmer is always fun.  This blendable duo is gorgeous and looks pretty fool-proof (Scotti, want to weigh-in here?).

 

SO HERE’S THE BIG DILEMMA:  What’s the best approach for a rainy-day adventurer?  French-girl chic in something that can just as easily slip into a coffee shop or be trotted out on a stormy date night, or do I give into my little-girl impulses and just go with something fun?  (I suspect Jess is going through the same dilemma – look closely at her raindrops….)

rain_bright 2-01

RIGHT?  Which ONE YOU GUYS?  I mean…those yellow boots I DIE.  And the color of that jacket is shockingly flattering and on point.

JACKET: The North Face Venture Jacket in ‘surreal green’ – this has a sporty fit (you’ll never mistake it for a chic trench), but the color brightened up my whole face.  And I’m pretty convinced that I need one uber-practical and sporty Spring/Summer jacket for traveling, etc…..(although the trench above would do the trick too..GAH!)  And ps. check out the Venture Jacket’s Tomato Red – it’s a perfect coral-neon if that’s your thing.  #thatstotallymything

SWEATSHIRT: see above for links

JEANS: see above for links

BOOTS: Ilse Jacobsen Hornbaek Rub Rainboots – I warned you guys about the gorgeous color selection….I MEAN.  #obsessed

SCARF: Front Row Society Black/White Scarf – I like to ground a bunch of crazy colors with a little black-and-white.  Works every time.

LIPS: Clinique Pop Lip Color in Wow Pop – Has anyone tried this?  It’s a lipstick and primer all-in-one and the happiest little lipstick I’ve ever seen.  I just like to say it out loud:  “pop lip color in wow pop”  See?

UMBRELLA: Seattle Umbrella – Isn’t this cool?  When dry, the letters are white, but when the umbrella gets wet, it reveals the Seattle skyline.  (Fun fact:  I’ve ALWAYS wanted to live in Seattle.  It’s the little grunge girl in me.)

 

 

 

So I will ask again:  WHICH ONE?  Which direction do you go – dark and chic, or bright and fun?  I am agonizing [cue dramatic music and eyerolls] over this choice.

And because the shopping enabler (that’s me) is PURE EVIL here are a ton of other seriously cool choices to totally confuse the issue.  (BTW, Nordstrom is KILLING it in the rainboot / raincoat game right now. So. Many. Options.  WOW.)

Shop Raincoats & Rainboots Oh MY

 

Thoughts??

xo,

S

 

A big, HUGE thank-you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post and to Jessbobess for her inspiring art.  As always, all product choices, thoughts, and opinions are my own.  (Or as Pax would say, “MINE OWN”.)  And readers, thank you for supporting the retailers who help support The Mom Edit – seriously.  It’s much appreciated.

You can see more of Jessbobess at This Wild and Precious Life Blog

 

“Last night
the rain
spoke to me
slowly, saying,
what joy
to come falling
out of the brisk cloud,
to be happy again
in a new way
on the earth!
That’s what it said
as it dropped,
smelling of iron,
and vanished
like a dream of the ocean
into the branches
and the grass below.
Then it was over.
The sky cleared.
I was standing
under a tree.
The tree was a tree
with happy leaves,
and I was myself,
and there were stars in the sky
that were also themselves
at the moment
at which moment
my right hand
was holding my left hand
which was holding the tree
which was filled with stars
and the soft rain –
imagine! imagine!
the long and wondrous journeys
still to be ours.”

-Mary Oliver

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14 COMMENTS

  1. I picked up the North Face jacket last spring and LOVE it. It makes me feel l like I’m being all sneaky chic practical on rainy or windy days – and I feel like it’s just the little bit of casual tailoring needed when I’m sporting my boyfriend jeans and Superga sneakers. Plus, I can throw a patagonia better sweater underneath for a bit of extra warmth and no one is the wiser. Fashion over function? Nope. I’ll take both. And I’m psyched to see the short Hunters on here. I purchased them then panicked after my first wear wondering if I was going to be the dorky short boot girl in a sea of tall boots. 🙂

  2. How do you launder your Edgemont jeans? I don’t dry clean, so I washed my Sienna colored pair in cold on the hand wash cycle and hung dry, but they lost a lot of the shiny wax look 🙁

    • Christy – I turned mine inside out, put them in a very fine mesh bag, and used delicate detergent. Then I let them air dry. I think they look the same? But to be honest, I wear mine pretty hard. They don’t look as waxy as when I first bought them (even before washing), but they still look coated, if that makes sense.

  3. I have Ilse Jacobsen boots and love them – the middle height in cream. The cream color has not stayed very pretty (need to figure out how to clean them) but they are great and functional and cool. Love em. And really want that North Face coat – I think I could wear it as a regular spring trench, too?

  4. Love this, actually bought almost the whole outfit (first one). Second one adorbs but first one more practical and I am all about that….but first one still fun! Love these posts about how to dress for practical occasions and still have lots of style. Thanks for such a fantastic blog!!!

  5. As a native of Washington (lived in Seattle for college) that Seattle umbrella makes me laugh. No one in Seattle carries an umbrella except for tourists, everyone else just accepts the rain (also probably why Nordstrom is killing it in the raincoat department since that is where it is founded). I love that awesome green raincoat though, punch of color to cheer up any rainy day, plus your kid will NEVER lose you at the park.

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