The Shopping is Great!

During my recent visit to speak on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, I slipped away for a couple of hours on Monday to go shopping.

I love to explore Saks Off 5th while on Hilton Head. You never know what treasures you might find there. I purchased a couple of pairs of shoes (no surprise there), a large square silk scarf, and a long asymmetric hem dressy tank top.

An Instagram follower once mentioned that she can never put together a look when she shops there. I always search for unique pieces that fit my style and work with the elements I already own rather than looking for an outfit. 

My closet is arranged in departments so, I rarely wear the same things together in the same way.  If I have a few good looking pieces that all work interchangeably and a variety of accessories, I can go anywhere. I know many women who purchase only outfits but always tell me they have nothing to wear.

Whenever I travel, someone will always comment on how little I take for a three or four-night stay. For example, when I go to L.A. in a few weeks, I will take black, white, and denim pants, four different tops, flat sandals, heeled sandals, some jewelry, and scarves to change the look of the combinations.

My rule is that all the tops must go with all the pants. This formula gives me possibilities for creating several different looks even when I travel by plane with only a small carry-on bag. 

Each time I have visited the Copper Penny store in Shelter Cove, I have found a pair of stylish black pants that will go with everything else in my closet. This store also has a great collection of shoes, jewelry, handbags, and clothing.

Shelter Cove Towne Centre in Hilton Head is a great new shopping area being built where the old mall once was. I love this concept! It is set up with tree-lined streets so that you can park in front of the store you want to visit, and there is a park overlooking the harbor for relaxing with the kids. There are several excellent shops, including a French bakery, numerous restaurants, several clothing stores, gift shops, and many more places to shop or take a break.

The new Birdie James boutique is also located in Shelter Cove. This shop offers a collection of classic staples. Sadly, I missed the grand opening by a few days on this visit, but you can be sure I will be going there as soon as I return to the Island.

I enjoy the sport of looking for a few well-chosen pieces to add to my collection. Most of my shopping is done online these days due to my busy schedule, but I enjoy being able to visit stores when I travel to see all of the colors and textures in person. I also enjoy watching people and studying what makes them look like a success. I have learned a lot simply by watching the women whose style I admire and borrowing tips from them.

I hope that's what you do when you visit my blog. Take the information that is helpful to you and make it your own. We can look fabulous at any age, any size, or on any budget.

On this brief shopping trip, I wore pieces that easily slip off when trying on items. The sandals are from last year by DV Dolce Vita. The pants are by Tribal. The Clara Sunwoo tunic was purchased from ShopMyFairLady.com. The BCBG bag is old from T.J.Maxx. The necklace is from S.M. Bradford, located in Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island.

Tribal Favorites

Warm weather casual looks have always been a challenge for me.

I am much more comfortable in my jacket and jeans with a tank combo, but I must create a cooler look to work with my figure challenges when the temperatures climb.

The perfect fit for my personal styling formula includes looks like this one.

The kick pleat detail on the back of the leg is so creative.

Wearing these wedge sandals from Dillard's a couple of years ago helped to visually elongate the chopped-off look that crop pants sometimes give my short lower legs. These stop at the point that my leg starts to get slimmer rather than on the widest part of my calf. That detail is always important to me when I wear any dress or cropped pants.

This look would also be great for a woman who has a pear shape. The zipper pocket details of the shirt lift the eye up and, if tucked in, would define the smaller waist of the pear shape. In addition, the black pants with simple lines are very flattering, and the dark color on the bottom formula is perfect for the pear shape.

Because I have an inverted triangle shape with a wide waistline, I rarely tuck in a top. This hemline is slightly lower in the back, which makes it very flattering for me. The fabric is whisper lightweight, so I can wear it even when our hot weather arrives.

The old clutch bag I found years ago at T.J.Maxx brought in the fun pop of red I really like with black and white.

Building Blocks

Have you ever thought of the pieces in your wardrobe as architectural building blocks?

Do most of those blocks work together to create a cohesive look, or are they scattered bits of unrelated pieces with little in common? Think of a building designed and built using classic lines and details that relate to each other and include balanced proportions. The elements of a building that complement each other combine to create a whole that is pleasing to the eye.

This look serves me well throughout most of the warm weather months. I enjoy wearing flowing tunics with interesting hemlines and three-quarter length sleeves. These tops work well with most of my straight leg pull-on jeans. I look for pants with a smooth wide waistband so that lumps and bumps from regular jean style pants don't show through the fabric of the tunic. The long, lean line created by the straight legs balances the fullness of the tunics.

Add a bold necklace or a stack of related but different bracelets and some eye-candy shoes, and I am ready to go anywhere.

Notice the details. I have created a bookend effect by repeating the turquoise blue in the necklace with the same shoes. A bookend effect can also mean matching your hair color with your shoe color. Bookending means that you are beginning and ending your look with a similar color or tone within a color.

The gold reptile effect on the heels relates back to the straw clutch's gold bamboo effects and the gold details in the necklace.

The Vince Camuto shoes are old from Ross. The Lily Pulitzer clutch is old from Finely House Couture.

Combining various hues within a color can create a very soothing effect. For example, tan, paprika, and ivory are all in the brown family, and they look rich and elegant when worn together.

You can always combine the hues of a color combination with one of your neutrals. For example, my cool skin tone base neutrals include black and white. Your warm skin tone base neutrals might be brown and ivory.

The navy blue Clara Sunwoo top was sent to me by ShopMyFairLady.

Note the odd closure of the necklace visible in this photo. I tied the too long necklace strands in a loose knot and then closed it. It hangs too long, resting between the girls in a most unattractive way. We busty gals must be careful with necklaces and bags that are worn across or between the breasts. Unfortunate choices can share way too much information. I prefer not to draw even more attention to that area.