Wear It Wednesday, Get Dressed

On a recent weekend getaway, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel as we normally do when we go to Knoxville.

On Sunday morning, we dressed to go down to the hotel restaurant to have tea and enjoy the breakfast buffet, which includes many fresh fruits.

The dark rinse jeggings are from Chico's. I wore them with a black long sleeve tee from Kohl's. The vintage St. John Country jacket was given to me by my dear friend Mitzi. The calf hair d'Orsay animal print shoes are by Sam Edelman via Nordstrom.

Bloody Marys on the Terrace

How do you get women to join their men at a car show for four hours on a Saturday afternoon? The answer: Hold it at the country club so that the gals can sit on the terrace in the shade and drink Bloody Marys. 

Before the car show, we stopped by the Johnson City Farmer's Market, where you can find many local artists and farmers displaying their wares for sale. I am buying a hand-blown glass paperweight as a gift for my parents from James Lang, an extremely talented glass artist.

After the car show was over, we shopped for a while in the nearby town of Kingsport, where there are many antique stores and other small shops and restaurants.

My clothes and necklace are from Chico's. The shoes are from Rack Room Shoes. The hat was purchased in Louisville, Kentucky, several years ago.

Saturday Afternoon

Readers often ask me what I wear on a casual day when I am just staying home or running out for errands.

On this windy, rainy day, I wore red slim leg pants with an animal print sheer tunic from Chico's and a nude foundation tank from Carlisle. Even though the tank is technically a foundation item, it is so pretty it can be seen peeking out from beneath a sheer blouse. The Kenneth Cole Reaction sandals in gold are from T.J.Maxx.

The old Post Office and Custom House in Bristol, Tennessee, is one of my favorite local buildings. It was constructed in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture and opened in 1901. It is now a private office belonging to friends Joe and Cindy Gregory, who began restoring it to its full glory in 1999.

Shopping in Asheville

On a winter Saturday afternoon, blue skies often mean a trip across the mountain to Asheville, North Carolina for Mr. Mickey and me.

We took a break from shopping in the Grove Arcade to visit Carmel's. One of our favorite treats is their homemade pimento cheese appetizer, a house-made blend of cheeses with jalapenos served with garlic crostini.

Later in the day, a cup of hot chocolate was just the thing to take away the chill.

It's always fun to visit the Screendoor to look through an eclectic mix of treasures, junque, and books.

No trip to the Biltmore Village is ever complete until we stop by Chico's for a peek at the sale rack. The necklace, long sleeve tee, vest, and pants I am wearing today are all old from Chico's. The coat is also old from Geiger. The short boots were Ralph Lauren via T.J.Maxx last year. The black Tignanello handbag is old from SteinMart.

I hope your shopping trips have been successful! 

Upon the Mountain

Today we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to one of our favorite villages, Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Our visits to Blowing Rock almost always end with Mr. Mickey and I enjoying a scoop of Kilwin's ice cream while sitting on a bench in the park across the street. Today I shared a bench with a scarecrow!

This is the door of a stone church in the village.

For some people, Sunday afternoon is a time to watch football. Shopping is a sport, isn't it? Unfortunately, all of my shopping lately has been at Lowe's. 

Here's a peek at my new home. We stopped there on our way out of town.

I will be moving my furniture in soon, but for now, there is still more work to be done.

Today I am wearing a dark purple sweater from Chico's with a lighter violet tunic from Covered Perfectly. This is my version of a sweater set. I don't care for those short clingy ones that you often find in stores. The necklace and brown ponte pants are also from Chico's. I now have my favorite Louise et Cie shoes in brown leather, black suede, and animal print. They are so comfortable! You will find them only at Nordstrom. The bag is old.

Covered Perfectly

A great looking tunic is always the number one item on my wish list every season. 

These fabulous tops layer well or stand-alone for year-round wear.

I have been wearing my Covered Perfectly tops often. They are buttery soft, and the fit is indeed perfect. 

The neckline is perfect to layer with jackets or vests!

The Wine Club

Mr. Mickey and I are charter members of a wine club. Last night we attended a tasting which included the Italian wines Baraolos and Brunellos.

I am wearing a long black, red, and cream sweater over a long-sleeve red tee with a bold Asian-inspired tassel necklace all from Chico's. The straight leg black pants are from Stein Mart a couple of years ago. The shoes are from Nordstrom. The bag is by Tahari via T.J.Maxx last year. 

Before the tasting, I studied that large map of Italy showing all the wine regions on the easel. Have you been to Italy? 

The Silk Kimono

Long jackets with flowing lines and minimal lapels have always been my favorite clothing articles, so of course, I adore kimono-style jackets. Recently I received this hand-painted silk kimono from Dalitika.

The previous two weeks have been very hectic, filled with many long days as I helped Mr. Mickey move into his new home and help him decorate it. (His previous home sold after only five days on the market!) Our aching bodies were ready for a day of relaxing, so we went out for lunch and had a couple's massage at the Austin Springs Spa located in the beautiful Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City.

After a massage, my face and eyes always get puffy, so I had to pull out all my tricks to get ready for these photos. I keep a clean wet washcloth in a storage container in my refrigerator. After my shower, I hold the cold cloth on my eyes for a few minutes each morning to reduce the puffiness. (Always drink lots of water after a massage.) 

This week on Facebook, we have been discussing makeup techniques and eyebrows specifically. Have you noticed that when we are young, the brows are normally darker than the hair? As we start to color our hair or let it fade to gray as I have done, we tend to forget this and try to make the brows the same color as our hair, making us look older or more tired. It is important to rethink your makeup techniques after forty. What worked when we were in our youth will make us look dated and not our best current self. For example, when I learned to apply makeup, I wore a light color with a bit of shimmer under my eyebrows and a darker color in my lid's crease. If I did that today, my eyes would appear to recede. The color I use under my brown now is a muted matte pink color by Merle Norman called Pink Truffle. I use a pale cream shimmer color only at the inner corners of my eyes now. 

A couple of hours after the massages, we were on our way to our favorite restaurant in the mountains of North Carolina. The Artisanal in Banner Elk is truly a world-class dining experience. On this evening, we dined on the terrace overlooking a mountain stream at the edge of the woods. As dusk started to fall, a great owl took flight from one of the trees and glided along the stream on his way to look for his own dinner. I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of this magnificent bird of prey!

On this evening, there was no private party in the Artisanal wine cellar, so we took the opportunity to do this photoshoot there. 

We have been in the restaurant when a helicopter has landed on the lawn to deliver special guests for dinner. Those who prefer total privacy go down to the wine cellar for their dining experience. The wine cellar private dining provides the ultimate food and wine experience in an unforgettable setting. They can accommodate parties of up to thirty-two guests. The owners, Anita and Bill, will assist you in creating a memorable experience down to the finer details. Their guidance in planning every facet of your event to the menu selection, place cards, or floral arrangements to any other special occasion needs makes the tasks of planning a party feel effortless.

The wine collection is massive, including more than a thousand bottles of fine wines. (Note that the floor of the actual wine storage area is pea-gravel.) A long glass wall separates the diners from the wine vault, but it is enjoyable to view all those neatly stored bottles.

The decor of the grounds and building are based on equestrian events, racehorses, and a barn.

This massive poster is on the far wall of the wine cellar.

With the fabulous hand-painted silk kimono from Dalitika, I am wearing a tank and a long necklace from Chico's. The ankle pants are from Talbot's. The shoes are by Guess, and the copper beaded clutch is old.

I got a new haircut a couple of weeks ago. It is softly layered and a little longer on the sides so that I can tuck some of it behind my ears.

I love you this much for reading my blog!

Oh So Slimming!

I wore a So Slimming ™ collection Ponte skirt from Chico's to dinner last night. 

This turquoise silk jacket I bought at Stein Mart earlier this year had never been worn. Now that cooler weather has arrived, I paired it with a black tank also from Chico's. 

The Ponte Collection™  dress from Chico's is great fitting and very comfortable. I tried it last week but didn't buy it because I felt it was too short for me. Now that I see these pictures, I realize that I could wear the shorter dress with opaque hose and a bright jacket and still look appropriate. 

Earlier this year, I promised myself not to buy anything else black, but as a base with a brighter color near the face, it can still work with my softer coloring. I love how comfortable all the pieces are in the Ponte Collection, so I will be at Chico's again later today.

Some of you have written to ask why I so rarely wear a skirt or dress. My calves and ankles are thick and too short compared to the rest of my body, so I am usually more comfortable in pants. I can never wear tall boots for that same reason. All my boots are the short version.

We all have our little tips and guidelines that we follow to look and feel our best. In sharing some of mine, I hope you will be inspired to try new combinations of the things already in your closet and perhaps make your next shopping trip less stressful. 

I found these T-Strap heels by BGBGeneration at T.J.Maxx last month. I am wearing nude Calvin Klein hosiery.

Since the rain was pouring down this evening, we shot these photos in my living room. That is not what I had planned, but sometimes you have to go with the flow (pun intended).

Dinner with Mr. Mickey

One of our couple traditions is to have a date night on Wednesday. It gives us a chance to unwind, get caught up on the busy first part of the week, and plan our weekend ahead.

For this date night, I wore soft, fully lined black crepe pants, a black tank, and a lightweight, almost sheer blue jacket, all from Chico's last year.

The shorter necklace is from Nouvique, also worn here, and the longer necklace is from Chico's. The black strappy sandals are old from JCPenny. The black ruffled evening bag is also old.

I don't work for Chico's, and I don't get free clothes from them, but you might think so. Clothes that last for more than one season and keep their shape after going through the laundry are worth the investment. In my area, there are only a couple of stores in which I shop for that reason.

Tomorrow is my fifty-seventh birthday. There are a few messages I would like to share with my teenage self if that were possible.

1. Happiness is an inside job.
2. Find out what you can accomplish on your own before you commit to a relationship or marry. 
3. Become a vegetarian now for the best lifelong health and weight control possible.
4.You would be wise to buy one timeless top quality black pair of pants that you can wear for many years, rather than to buy five pairs of cheap pants that will only be worn for one season at most.
5. Imagine an event that you might actually be attending. Go to your closet and put together an outfit for that event. Your wardrobe should allow you to participate in any activity without causing stress or emergency shopping when it comes time to get dressed. Plan your purchases accordingly throughout your life.

A Private Invitation Updated

You are invited! I am conducting a Style Seminar at Chico's Biltmore Village in Asheville, North Carolina, on September 19 at 7PM. 

The store will be closed during this time and reserved for just us! 

We will discuss style trends for fall, line, proportion, color, accessories, and layering.

You know how much I love Chico's! 

I hope you can join me as they reserve the whole store for us this evening. I am looking forward to meeting you!