Jazz Night

At the end of a tough day, the best reward is a relaxing evening with your best friend.

Mr. Mickey and I stopped at the Memorial Hall Theater at the Veterans Administration for a few quick photos on our way to dinner.

  

The theater is supposedly haunted by an old projectionist and actors moving about on the stage. I am happy to report no such ghosts were seen on this visit.

Established in 1901, the Mountain Home VA Medical Center is located here in Johnson City.

We had dinner at Wellington's, where a jazz band was playing. They often have live entertainment, including professors and students from ETSU.

As is often the case, we struck up a conversation with someone because we liked her shoes. Can you believe this woman is 55?

The High Country

We always enjoy our drives into the high country of North Carolina.

This evening we were traveling to the Artisanal restaurant for dinner.

The small town of Banner Elk does a beautiful job with the border of flowers that continues for almost the whole length of the town.

The Eagle's Nest private gated mountain community has a beautiful new welcome lodge.

Flowers and trees always seem to thrive in the high country.

Of all my evening bags this is Mr. Mickey's favorite. I bought it on a long-ago buying trip in Atlanta at the apparel market.

The sateen jacket is from Dillard's. The black brocade pants and blue top as well as the turquoise necklace are from Chico's. The Steve Madden heels are from Nordstrom.

80th Birthday Dinner

Last evening we joined our dearest friends to celebrate Mr. Mickey's 80th birthday at our favorite restaurant Artisanal in Banner Elk, NC.

I wore a Covered Perfectly draped front top in black with brocade black pants from Chico's last year. The sandals were purchased at the last big Dillard's sale. The bag and earrings are from Stein Mart.

Knowing that the evening temps would dip into the low sixties, I grabbed this royal blue jacket on the way out the door.

Best friends are the greatest gift of all. This is my dear friend Mitzi. Isn't she beautiful?

The restaurant owner surprised Mr. Mickey with a birthday dessert. We had such a lovely evening!

The face of Grandfather Mountain was visible in the clouds as we were leaving.

The Opera Coat

Season tickets to the Johnson City Symphony are one of the gifts I give Mr. Mickey each Christmas.

It is a long-standing tradition for us to have an early dinner at our favorite restaurant before attending the concert. This performance featured the beautiful guest artist Chee-Yun from Seoul. Her first public performance was at age 8! On this night, she played the Stradivarius "Ex-Strauss" (Cremona, 1708).

I wore items from Chico's, including a silver cardigan and tank with a long double strand crystal and silver necklace. The skirt is a straight black knit pencil style. The Assets hose/tights are from Target. The Anne Klein shoes are at least eight years old.

I bought this velvet and faux fur trimmed Erté inspired coat from one of my sales reps in 1990 when she also represented my jewelry line. I call it my opera coat because it has a rhinestone encrusted closure, and it has a theatrical shape and texture. On the rare occasions when I wear it, I feel like I have stepped out of the Art Nouveau-inspired 1920s.

Thank you for joining me on this fun journey through midlife and beyond.

Winter Dressing Tips

Mr. Mickey picked me up to take me out to dinner just as it started to snow.

I apologize for the indoor pictures again. The lighting is dismal.

I wore a necklace I made using rose quartz and a chunky silver chain tied like a scarf. I like to wear it to give me a V neckline in winter with warm tops with a higher neck. Since I have a round face, I like to wear a V whenever possible to elongate it. 

My outfit's base includes a column of black in a Chico's tee with Talbots side zip pants from last year. If you cannot wear black near your face, try navy, dark brown, or dark gray, which also work as great bases. The boots are by Nine West. 

Now on to the jacket! I was thrilled to find this one on the sale rack at Chico's for about a fourth of its original price. Score! The knit material is almost like a burnout velvet in a deep sapphire blue and black. It has a swing style with a waterfall front that works so well over a simple slim base. When I tried it on in the store, the lady who helped me looked at it as if she had never seen it before. I read between the lines, "Why didn't I see that?" I love it when I try something on, and I know immediately that it is me. 

I am sure you have noticed a pattern in my cold-weather dressing. I start with a slim fitting solid color top and bottom, then add an interesting jacket, scarf, or another accessory to give it a little pizzazz. This base is slim-fitting or body-skimming because I never want to add bulk underneath the jacket, but a slim fitting first layer also helps keep me warm.

Wearing a top and bottom in the same color with a contrasting color or patterned jacket is known as column dressing. It helps you to look taller and thinner for several reasons. There is no horizontal break on your body. The vertical breaks from an open jacket show only a portion of your body, making you look longer and leaner.