A Perfect Day

We spent part of Saturday afternoon exploring the mountains of North Carolina on our way to dinner.

I wore a royal blue top by IC Collection and white pants in the Janet style by Lior Paris, both from ShopMyFairLady.com, earlier this summer.

The shoes are old by Charles Jourdan via Saks Off 5th. The chain bag is old from Express.

The cutout details in both the front and back at the shoulders make such a difference on a hot summer day. The tops are indeed cooler because of them. I love the swing and texture of the flattering fabric.

At the end of a beautiful day, we enjoyed another perfect meal at one of our all-time favorite restaurants, Artisanal.

All Is Well

Severe storms passed through our region on Friday evening. Countless trees were torn apart or completely uprooted by high winds taking power sources with them, which means many thousands of people are still without power on Sunday morning.

For all those who wrote to ask, we are safe and well. We sustained very little damage in our neighborhood.

We had reservations for dinner on Saturday night, so we decided to keep our plans. We anticipated that it might take a lot longer to reach our destination because of all the roads' debris.

Teams were out in force before the break of dawn to start clearing the damage and trying to restore power as quickly as possible.

We were more than ready to have a day away from the stress of life after this somber and frightening week. As we drove through the mountains on our way to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, I could feel the release of tension.

Something calming about looking out over endless green mountain ranges fills me with a sense of peace and gratitude.

We forgot to take the camera with us when we parked the car earlier in the day, so we had to take a few minutes before dinner to snap some photos for you. We always try to shoot looks at the beginning of our day before I become too rumpled looking. Today you see me after a day of shopping, visiting with friends, sitting in the park watching people, and riding around in a convertible.

There are many things I like about owning a capsule wardrobe of basics. Most of all, I appreciate that when I don't have the energy to come up with a special look, I can just put on something and go without giving it too much thought.

It is always a lot cooler in the mountains, so I have learned to wear layers whenever we go that way. Today I wore a jacket by IC Collection via ShopMyFairLady.com. (It is on sale now!) The layered V-Neck tank could have been worn alone if I had gotten too warm during the day, but that did not happen. The tank is from White House|Black Market. The pants are the Sasha Style by Lior Paris via ShopMyFairLady.com.

My accessories included small silver wide hoop earrings with tiny crystals, sunglasses by Balmain via Saks Off 5th, and a stack of silver bracelets.

The shoes are old by Bar III via Macy's.

After seeing so much damage all day, I was relieved to see that this little flower garden spot behind a store in Banner Elk had survived unscathed.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

I always share where I got the items shown if I can remember. The source is often ShopMyFairLady.com because they carry many of the lines I find comfortable and reflect my personal style.

Stripes

I love the look of stripes but rarely find a style that flatters my inverted triangle shape.

I wore this look to brunch at the Grove Park Inn. Later in the day, we attended a Chamber Music concert by The Harlem Quartet.

The IC Collection line is made in the USA and sold at ShopMyFairLady.

The pants are by Lior Paris. I am wearing a Clara Sunwoo tank under the jacket. The bag is old from Express. The French Connection shoes are old from Saks Off 5th.