Pure Gold

     There are some clothing elements that, no matter how impractical, I will always love. One of these is metallic thread. There was my H&M dress, and I recently bought the J. Crew golden bubbles skirt (for only $50! It used be like $140, and I loved it so much but after months of waiting I finally grabbed one of the last of the size 6s. And then, at Zara, I spied this beauty of a top:

Grey cardigan (H&M), pencil skirt (H&M), metallic thread shell (Zara), gold antler necklace (anemone Japan)

     It's not a part of Zara's main line, it's a part of some new premium "denim" line (though of course the top is not denim at all). It's a silk/wool/viscose shell, mauve in color and trimmed with grey, and it features an art nouveau/chandelier print in gold metallic thread. Looking at the pics, I kinda wished I bought the small and not my normal medium, though I'd imagine that the small would be rather tight in the neck and shoulders. Later in the day I partially buttoned my cardigan, which gave it a much more streamlined appearance, helped of course by the sleekness of the pencil skirt. I want to try wearing it with jeans and my go-to white ruffled chemise underneath to see how it looks...but anyways, back to the top itself! It looks gorgeous, especially when it reflects the light. But metallic thread is never easy. It scratches, it eventually unravels (at least a bit), and it usually kinks and bends stubbornly, which causes a lighter weight garment to loose shape a little (as in the case with this top). And washing in the machine? Forget about it; it's Febreeze all the way until it practically begs for a visit to the dry cleaners.
     Impractical? Yup. Tough to take care of? Sure. Easy to control? Nope. But gorgeous, elegant, and luxurious?
     You betcha.