Dress For It!

My 60th birthday is coming up next month. I wouldn't take back 30 if it were available. This is the best part of my life, so I get dressed for it!

On a recent evening, Mr. Mickey and I joined friends in the courtyard of our favorite restaurant after work. I wore slate gray Lisette pants with a white sleeveless top from White House|Black Market and my off white Bowie Jacket from Saks Off 5th. The layered crystal beaded necklace is from Fabrizio Gianni. The shoes are by Vince Camuto. Even though the clothes I wear are often old, I mention the brand if you want to look for the item.

My favorite pieces are almost always classic styles in neutral colors, so you should be able to find something current in your price range that is similar.

The jacket is short in the back, so I always layer it over a high-low hemmed top since there is no junk in my trunk. 

A fashionable twenty-something told me I was "killin' it" with this look, which put a spring in my step for the rest of the day.

If you have followed me for even a short time, you know that Vince Camuto is one of my favorite shoe brands.

Walk on Wide Side

I hope you have enjoyed my experiment with breaking my personal style rules this week.

Certain lines and silhouettes look better on each body type. That doesn't mean you have to wear the same thing every day, but it is nice to know why some combinations look great on your body and others, not so much.

I rarely wear wide-leg pants because they turn me into a huge rectangle. I need the slimmer silhouette of straight leg, more narrow fitting pants, but I couldn't resist this unique style by Clara Sunwoo. These pants are made from the same very comfortable soft, flattering knit as the tunics you see me wear so often in warm weather.

This is the look I wore to brunch on Sunday at the Grove Park Inn. I attempted to make my top half look as neat and compact as possible to balance with the fullness of this fuller flowing pant style.

Photo from the Clara Sunwoo website.

There is a little tie wrap detail across the front so that you don't even realize they are pants until I walk or see me from the back. NOTE: If you order these pants, please size down. They do run large. I am wearing an extra small.

I wore them with my shortest tightest fitting white jacket over a slim fitting Chico's white tank top fully tucked in to balance the fullness. The white biker style jacket is from White House Black Market.

A key styling trick to remember is to balance the proportions of the top with the bottom. Two long flowing items worn together are rarely flattering on me. I find the looks that combine a narrow item with a wider item to be the most successful.

I want to share a safety note about wide-leg pants and long skirts. Stiletto heels are NOT a good idea with these items! The heels might get tangled in the fabric as you attempt to gracefully glide down the stairs. (Hmmm, could this be the voice of experience?) It is much safer and more balanced to wear these longer, fuller shapes with flats, platforms, or block heel shoes. 

This is the perfect pant silhouette for the pear-shaped body because it flows across your bottom half while bringing attention to your slimmer upper body.

Those cute little black and white flats I didn't know for sure that I would ever wear got a lot of "airtime" this week. They are by Circa Joan & David from Saks Off 5th. The gunmetal box clutch is old from T.J.Maxx.

Denim Jacket

If I never try anything new, you might start to yawn.

This week on the blog, I am breaking all my personal styling rules. So today, it's never close a double-breasted blazer.

This White House Black Market denim trophy jacket looked OK, even buttoned because of the closure angles and the buttons' placement. (I didn't keep it fastened all day.)

I am not a fan of denim trucker-style jackets because they just don't suit my body shape. In addition, boxy jackets are challenging to carry off when you are busty. This blazer, however, is right up my style alley. The angled lines and tailored style are flattering for my body shape.

I paired it with a slate gray tank and white So Slimming jeans from Chico's. The bag by Zac Posen and the Balmain sunglasses are both from Saks Off 5th. 

The shoes are old by Sam Edelman. Keep in mind that animal print is considered neutral. I wore these mostly tan ones with white pants. If they were primarily black with brown, I would have treated them as a dark neutral and paired them only with darker pants to extend my short legs' line.

Style Formula

How did you find your style formula?

That is a question I often get, so I will try to share that formula here today.

Knowing your body proportions and details is vital in deciding what looks best on you. My shoulders are wider than my hips, and my lower legs are short and broad in proportion to my thighs. I have a thick tummy and a roundish face. I have to work with that's what I dress to emphasize what I like and downplay my least favorite parts.

The open jacket over the slim-fitting tank's scoop neckline allows my face to appear to be less round, and the tank adds no bulky material, which would add pounds visually.

The way I part my hair, its length, and the angle of the cut make my face look less round.

The strong shoulders and slimming waist details of this jacket from White House Black Market give the illusion that I have a slimmer waistline than I do. If it were a warmer day, I would have pushed up the sleeves to visually lose another five pounds. The slim-fitting straight-leg ankle jeans are from J.Jill. They create a sleek line and balance for my legs without pooling on the tops of my shoes.

The Steve Madden suede fringe sandals are high enough to almost balance my short calves with my thighs. 

The top handle satchel bag is a good choice for me because it visually creates balance. If this were a shoulder bag resting in the middle of my body, it would add width to an area I do not want to focus on. The gray Saks tank top and bag by Zac Posen and Balmain's sunglasses are from Saks Off 5th.

The points above explain why these pieces work to balance my body visually. I love wearing this combination of a jacket, tank, and slim-fitting straight-leg ankle jeans (not skinny). This look works well with my lifestyle. I can add accessories to these basic classic pieces that show my personality and finish off the look in many different ways.

I hope that my blog posts help you find your own style formula that allows you to get dressed with confidence and ease each day.

Tiny Space Packing

When my partner in fun (Mr. Mickey) says, "We are going away for the weekend in the Roadster," the challenge begins.

The first order of business is to check the weather for Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and then choose the weekend colors. They must interchange and look great on their own for any occasion. Black and white, with silver-gray, always seem to work well for me.

For our first weekend trip of the year to Blowing Rock, I wore coated black jeans from Chico's, a surplice wrap style black and white top, and a white cropped moto-style jacket both from White House Black Market. I would only wear this cropped jacket layered over a long, lean top such as this one. The reason is that I have no backside (no "junk in my trunk" at all), and I do not wish to show off that fact.

Since there was no room in the car for more shoes, I wore these booties, which are old from Nine West via Saks Off 5th. The sunglasses are old by Michael Kors. The small bag is old from Express.

My all-time favorite place to shop in Blowing Rock is Finley House Couture.

They offer a fantastic collection of beautiful jewelry. The earrings shown below were my Easter gift from Mr. Mickey.

Finley House Couture is also known for its fabulous collection of handbags and totes.

Below, I am surrounded by bright summery prints from their collection of beautiful clothing.

If you enjoy shopping in elegant surroundings with the best of service, you will love Finley House Couture as much as I do.

Mr. Mickey and Mr. Mark always have so much fun visiting and laughing together.

On to the next shop!

I discovered a great new line of jeans/leggings called Jag Jeans at The Fig Leaf. They are styled just like a pair of jeans, but instead of that big button, zipper, loop combination that shows under every single top I wear, there is a smooth wide band. I nearly squealed with delight when I tried on these jeans!

Mr. Mickey is keeping watch over my stash as I shop for more treasures.

When we were exhausted from all of my shopping, we checked in to the luxurious Westglow Resort and Spa. The mansion was constructed in 1917 and was originally the summer home of famed artist and writer Elliott Daingerfield. 

Our view from the Portico Suite balcony.

Rose petals on the bed, along with a personal note from the manager.

The gorgeous light fixture in the suite above.

On the second day, my look to wear for dinner included a silver/gray sweater and pull on more dressy pants; both are old from Chico's. The Evan-Picone white trench coat is old from Stein Mart.

The living room of the mansion is enormous but so warm and welcoming.

The grand staircase, as seen from the entry.

The view of the sun setting from the Portico.

We shared a beautiful chocolate dessert after dinner.

I am sitting in front of the fire after a brief walk after dinner.

The view was very different on Sunday morning!

As we departed the next morning, the mountain wore a thick shroud of fog, and there was a light rain falling. The bellman loaded everything back into the snazzy car that looks like it is going fast even when parked.

Men will also suffer a little for fashion. This car looks great, but it is difficult to get in and out of, and there is no room for luggage. On the plus side, if the weather had been a little nicer, we would have put the top down to enjoy the warmth of the sun. We will look forward to that next time.