Nothing New

Do you style items in the same way each time you wear them?

I have tried this IC Collection jacket closed in the past, but it looks better with my face shape when worn open. The convergence point creates a high round mandarin collar when it is closed, which is not a good look for me. I am wearing it here with a low scoop neck tank from Chico's. The jacket would also look great with a column of white or gray as the base. 

The IC Collection jacket was provided by ShopMyFairLady. The IC Collection line is made in the USA.

The fabulous pants were provided by Fabrizio Gianni. They are the perfect pants for travel. The fit is comfortable, and the fabric looks fresh even after a long car ride. The pants are also made in the USA.

I wore these shoes with this look because they relate so well to the jacket design. The shoes are by Bar III via Macy's last year. The watch is by Michael Kors via Nordstrom. The clutch is old from T.J.Maxx.

IC Collection jackets are works of art. I appreciate the architectural elements such as high-low hems and asymmetric fronts with ornate focal point buttons. The luxurious fabrics are comfortable and flattering. These are the pieces that stay in my wardrobe for a long time. I wear them again and again. 

These flowers were in the Crown Plaza lobby, where we stayed on our recent visit to Knoxville. I wore this repeat look to dinner at the Orangery.

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.

Long Over Lean

Some pieces can keep my attention for years.

I bought this sweater jacket with faux leather sleeves a couple of years ago, but I still enjoy wearing it very much. It is by Adrianna Papell from Saks Off 5th.

We were on our way out to dinner and to the season's final performance for the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra on Saturday evening when Mr. Mickey snapped these photos.

The long sleeve simple comfort top from Covered Perfectly is another piece I wear again and again. I love that I can layer over it or wear it alone. It has a great simple neckline that is so flattering with or without jewelry.

The slim-fitting pants are by Lior Paris, and the boots are by French Connection via Saks Off 5th. The small reptile embossed box bag is from SM Bradford on Hilton Head Island. All three of these items are purchases I made last fall.

Some items call my name as soon as I see them. I know without any doubt that I will always enjoy wearing the pieces when I am instantly drawn to them in such a strong way.

My formula for dressing is to wear neutral long over lean solids with interesting jewelry. This allows for less memorable mixing and matching. I play around with different silhouettes and stripes or textures, but this is the formula that works best.

Dressing Up

You can see by the reflection in the windows behind me, the rain was about to fall.

Mr. Mickey and I were on our way out to dinner and then to the Johnson City Symphony's performance.

I wore a Polo Ralph Lauren soutache-trimmed wool jacket from Dillard's with a simple V-neck tank top by Clara Sunwoo supplied by ShopMyFairLady.

Chico's Travelers pants are more than ten years old. They are made from a heavier weight knit with a bit wider leg than what is offered today. I wore them with my "rain boots," an old pair of Nine West boots that I wear when the weather is wet. I don't wear my nicer shoes and boots when it is snowing or raining, and I know I have to walk a long way in the weather.

As we were shooting these photos at a bank near my home, a fabulous blue Jaguar sedan roared into the otherwise empty parking lot. This beautiful lady called out to me, "I LOVE your blog!" Her name is Sally, and she was just returning from the gym. I really enjoy meeting Fifty, not Frumpy followers! They are always the most pleasant people.

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When I posted the "What's in Your Pantry?" video last week, some of you were concerned that I don't go to the gym anymore. That doesn't mean I don't exercise at all! I am very active all day, every day. I do lots of stretches and leg lifts. I have small weights that I use to keep my arms strong, and I often do Pilates at home in the winter. I walk three miles very fast every day when the weather allows. Keeping fit and healthy is very important to me, but it isn't necessary to go to a gym to achieve that. It's your regular daily lifestyle, not what you buy, that makes your health better and your body stronger. I have a friend who often goes to the gym, but she believes that it gives her the right to stop on the way home for french fries before she goes home to sit on the couch and watch TV until bedtime.

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In case it was as cold as the weather forecaster said it would be, I took this Opera coat with me but didn't need it. The wool jacket was warm enough for the evening.

The soutache trim is on the front of the jacket, but it isn't showing up very well in these photos. I will always wear this jacket open because the neckline becomes much too high and round when it is closed.

Dinner on Saturday

Last weekend we visited the more than 100-year-old Omni Grove Park Inn located in Asheville, North Carolina.

These photos were taken in the Palm Court atrium floor located above the Great Hall of the Inn. It was a very dark and rainy day, so finding enough light to take good photos was challenging.

We like to dress for dinner. Life is theater, and I always want to be dressed for my part!

Even though it appears from these photos that I am dressed in a sea of black, there is a lot of textural interest that isn't showing up.

I always add different textures when wearing a monotone look. Monotone means wearing one color from head to toe. It is a way of looking longer and leaner, but you will want to add interest to these looks. 

I am wearing a sequined black sweater with a low double-breasted blazer, both old from Saks Off 5th with sleek ankle length dressy slacks that are old from Chico's. 

The jacket and the shoes are by French Connection.

From this close up shot, you can see that there are several different textures and details in this combination. The bag was purchased earlier in the day at Cloth, the boutique on the Inn property.

This last photo was taken by one of the fireplaces in the Great Hall. These fireplaces are so large that a man can stand up in them. Notice the large logs in the cart behind me. It takes two men to load them onto the andirons, which were hand-forged in Asheville and weigh more than 500 pounds each.

The Grove Park Inn Getaway

We love to stay at a resort where you can valet the car and just stay on the property for two or three days. Last weekend we visited the more than 100-year-old Omni Grove Park Inn located in Asheville, North Carolina.

You can easily spend the whole day being spoiled in their fifty million dollar SPA.

There are several excellent restaurants as well as shops, and many historical exhibits throughout the property.

These photos were taken in the Palm Court atrium floor located over the Great Hall. Mr. Mickey was looking dapper as usual!

We spent the early part of the first evening in the great hall. It is great fun to watch people and listen to live entertainment while sipping our favorite beverages. Later in the evening, we heard the dueling pianos in Elaine's downstairs.

The Charles Jordan shoes from Saks Off 5th are my new favorites! The gray fringe sweater is old. The bag is from T.J.Maxx. The tank, pants, and necklace are old from Chico's.

Great Dinner with Great Friends

You may have noticed that black and white is one of my favorite color combinations.

When building a capsule wardrobe, it is essential to start with three colors that work together. I have always enjoyed wearing white, black, red, royal blue, or turquoise. Fortunately, all these colors work together to build many looks from the individual pieces I own in any of those colors.

The jewelry and wardrobe pieces are all from Chico's. The statement necklace has many textural elements, which meant the cuff needed to be smooth and sleek in contrast. I also skipped the earrings tonight because of the minimal design of the jacket.

The shoes, which are black tone on tone pattern, are by Nine West. The bag is from T.J.Maxx.

Street flowers in downtown Banner Elk.

We took our friends Sandy and Rick to dinner at Artisanal, our favorite restaurant in the world, last evening.

Mr. Mickey had the pimento cheese beignets appetizer.

I had the squash blossom appetizer and the halibut entree. You eat first with your eyes.

Doesn't Sandy have the sweetest smile?

She and Rick make such a lovely couple!

Rick is our Wine Club leader, so naturally, we had to take them down to tour the extensive collection in Artisanal's wine room.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of great conversation, fine food, and wine in a beautiful environment. We tried a Spätlese for the first time tonight. Spätlese (literal meaning: "late harvest") is a German wine term for a wine from fully ripe grapes, the lightest of the late harvest wines. I highly recommend it!

Your chariot awaits.

Mr. Mickey's Birthday Celebrations

On Thursday evening, we had dinner with our dearest friends to kick off Mr. Mickey's birthday weekend celebration.

I wore items from Chico's on this evening. The Travelers pants are almost ten years old! The tank and silver-gray sweater are from last year. The necklace is from Cali and York. The suede pumps are from Saks Off 5th. The small evening bag is from T.J.Maxx.

This was the first of four days of celebrating Mr. Mickey's 81st birthday!