Birthday Celebration!

The new website is at http://susanafter60.com/.

Mr. Mickey treated me to a wonderful weekend away at the Westglow Resort and Spa to celebrate my 60th birthday. I wore a tank top and jeans with flat shoes for traveling. 

The Westglow is situated on the top of a hill overlooking fabulous mountain ranges from every angle.

We stayed in the Grand Master Suite during this visit. Every elegant room in the mansion is decorated with different fabulous antiques.

I turned 60 this year. When I was much younger, I would have considered that a depressing thought. However, now that I have arrived, I feel as if my life is just beginning. The difficult training part has been successfully completed, and now I am ready to start enjoying my life.

I found the white linen-like jacket on a sidewalk sale rack at Stein Mart last month. It is by Calvin Klein. The Michael Kors jeans were also purchased at Stein Mart last year.

The gray tank top is a couple of years old from Chico's. The scarf is by Halston Classic, and I think I got that one at Nordstrom. It is a large chiffon square that I folded on the diagonal to form a long thin scarf. Then, I just draped it around my neck for a pop of color and pattern.

The bag was from Express last year. The shoes are by Circa Joan & David via Saks Off 5th.

When I purchase simple basics in solid colors, I can wear them in various ways and for years to come.

This will be the final post on this Fifty, not Frumpy blog site. You can now find me at SusanAfter60.com. 

Neutrals With A Scarf

Some days, I enjoy wearing bold colors, and on other days, I feel very subdued.

Sunday was a lazy, low-key, do-nothing kind of day, so I chose to wear neutrals.

Napping, reading, and going out for sushi were the most exciting things we did all day.

In Johnson City, our favorite place to get sushi is Ming's. It is near my house, family-owned, always fresh, and the service is excellent.

This Chico's white boatneck tee with buttons at the shoulders is probably five years old. I bought it in several solid colors and also stripes. When I find something timeless and good quality that I know I will wear often, I buy every color suitable for me.

Olive is a color I could never wear close to my face, but I wanted a casual pair of neutral pants, not denim, black or white. These are the NYDJ Marilyn Straight style, and they run very large and long. I am wearing a size two here. My seamstress is now hemming them to a thirty-one-inch inseam. 

Knowing which styles, colors, and lengths work best for your body shape makes shopping and getting dressed much more manageable.

I have always enjoyed using a scarf to pull a look together. This scarf is several years old. It is a thirty-four-inch square in a silky (probably polyester) fabric.

I folded the scarf in a triangle, folded the point over about two inches, and then repeated it until one long band.

I tied the very ends together in a small knot and then wrapped it around twice to create an infinity scarf.

Put the scarf around your neck at the step above, and then wrap it over your head again and arrange it loosely at your neckline, keeping the little tie inside and at the back.

This is a favorite way to wear a scarf in warm weather because it adds detail and color without making you feel hot.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

Ready for another adventure in the mountains of North Carolina?

Another item from our bucket list has been crossed off. On Monday, we visited Harrah's in Cherokee.

Having visited Cherokee, North Carolina, it's hard for me to comprehend the changes on the Reservation during childhood summers. Until a few years ago, it had remained virtually unchanged since the 1950s.

 I was hoping to see a bear today.

Mr. Mickey's lunch.

 

My lunch.

We do not gamble, so there were only lunch and a bit of window shopping and people watching for us.

The white waterfall cardigan is old. I thought it might be cold in the building; I was right!

The scarf is old from Stein Mart. The layered tank is old from White House|Black Market. The bag is old by BCBG via T.J.Maxx. 

The chino pants are new from NYDJ. This style is the Marilyn Straight. They run very largely! I am wearing a size 2. I washed and dried them hoping they would shrink. Today, I am taking them to the tailor to get them hemmed.

Scarf Tricks

It is my 60th birthday month!

There will be celebratory dinners, spa visits, lunch with friends, and weekend getaways. Last evening we enjoyed a special dinner with our dearest friends.

It was a real challenge to take photos in front of the bank near my house due to the whipping winds. We try to take photos before I get all rumpled from sitting in the car; that's why our backgrounds are often the same.

A few subtle changes in my style will come about in the next season of my life. Scarves will be added to my look a lot more often. Wearing a scarf in colors that flatter your complexion is an easy way to add color and pattern without wearing a print over your whole body.

Black, white, and denim are my neutrals and the largest blocks of color in my wardrobe. None of these colors are especially flattering close to my face. The good thing about my base of neutrals is that I can pull in small doses of the colors that are more flattering. 

The basis of great style is taking suggestions from trends or outfit ideas and making them work for your shape and lifestyle.

I have been collecting colorful scarves and tanks for years. Wearing a tank (over the correct *bra) with a color-coordinated beautiful silk scarf tied simply near my face can make almost any combination of base pieces work together.

*The bras that work best for me are the Ultimate Shapeez Bra for long-line smoothing.

When all else fails, go across the street inside the Post Office to take a closeup without the wind whipping your hair all over your face.

The shot above includes the portrait area. Keeping the scarf in this area avoids adding more bulk to my bust.

If I am wearing a larger scarf with more texture for warmth, I will tie or wrap it so that it hangs in smooth straight lines rather than adding more fluff where I am already "fluffy." 

Subtle makeup, a simple hairstyle, not too much jewelry, a soft, supple silk scarf in vibrant jewel tones, and less stress are all elements that I plan to enjoy in the coming years.

The long duster cardigan is from White House|Black Market. The tank and the pants are old from Chico's. The shoes are old by Sam Edelman. The earrings are old by Brighton. The ring is a long-ago gift from Mr. Mickey.

My scarf tying techniques are always simple and easy. This one is a long rectangle shape, so I wrapped it around my neck twice and tied the ends loosely.

A Long Sunday Drive

Early on Sunday morning, we left Dobson, North Carolina, to travel north on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Knowing that I would be in and out of blasting air conditioning all day, I dressed for the temperature changes. I wore black crepe pants with a wrap front sleeveless top from White House|Black Market and kept my trusty white linen moto jacket close.

Our first brief stop along our journey north was at the historic Mabry Mill.

Our next destination is one we have planned for years. (We have a long bucket list of places we want to visit and things we want to do.) On Sunday, we checked off the Chateau Morrisette Winery and Restaurant located in Floyd, Virginia. It is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, located at mile marker 171 1/2. Turn onto Black Ridge Road and then immediately turn left onto Winery Road. GPS will take you on a long roundabout way through the middle of nowhere to get there.

The shoes are old by Calvin Klein. The fabulous green bag is from UnoAllaVolta.com.

The view from the window at our table was spectacular. (Photo from the restaurant's Facebook page.) The restaurant has once again earned a place on OpenTable's Most Scenic Restaurants in America!

We shared an excellent four-course brunch in the original part of the grand old building.

Mr. Mickey was amused to see this companion piece to a stained glass lamp in his wine room.

We tasted several of their wines, and they were all excellent! 

Janean Williams is the delightful Front of the House Manager. Luke was our most excellent server.

All of the staff made us feel like regulars!

We purchased a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy later, as well as glasses with the etched emblem of the winery to remember our long-awaited first but certainly not our last visit.

We are already looking forward to our next visit to the restaurant and winery. They offer music, art, romance, mystery, seasonal festivities, refined rustic dining, and delectable wines throughout the year. 

Thanks for joining us on our little weekend getaway!