Navy on Sale!

One of the last colors to leave the rack in most of the stores I shop in is navy blue. I often hear women say, "I don't know what to wear with navy" or "I would rather wear black."

 

Last night Mr. Mickey took me to dinner at our favorite restaurant in town, Gourmet and Company. Chef Jacob is so very talented and an all-around great person. His family owns a farm, so in the summer, he brings in fresh produce growing in the fields that morning. Last night he came out to visit with us and sent us on our way with fresh blackberries and blueberries from his farm. Yummy! 

My jacket is from Chico's summer sale. The tank top is also from Chico's. The navy side zip Hollywood fit pants are from the summer sale at Talbots.

 

These are my new favorite sunglasses by Oscar de la Renta via Stein Mart. The shape and color fit my face shape, and the color is dark but not black. Perfect! The clutch bag, necklace, ring, and silver bangle bracelet are also from Stein Mart.

The blush color Bandolino shoes are so old I don't remember where I bought them. The ankle strap doesn't show here, but they do have an above the ankle small strap. When in doubt, always wear nude shoes. Navy blue also looks good with oxblood, cognac, bronze, or any neutral color shoe. Nude is considered the color closest to your skin color, so whenever I find a pale pair of shoes that fit well, I buy them, knowing I will wear them often.

 

Chilly Date Night

Spring continues to tease us. The temperatures dipped into the forties last evening, and the wind was fierce, which means I looked for something warm for Friday date night with friends.

Because of the high winds, we moved the photo session into my foyer this evening.

All the elements are repeats, but I'll recap them for you. The wool double-breasted jacket with three-quarter sleeves is from Talbots last fall. The three quarter sleeve jacket is a great choice for cooler spring weather. This time I paired it with black wider leg pants and Ros Hommerson low heeled pumps. I was sad to get an email from Ros Hommerson announcing that they are going out of business. All of their inventory is half price now. 

When I wear wider leg pants, I always wear them with a lower-heeled shoe for safety reasons and the fact that it seems to be a much better balance.

Under the jacket is a black tank top from Stein Mart, and I carried a black leather clutch with gold trim. My earrings are gold and black, and the bangle is the same red as the jacket with gold trim. I rarely wear gold jewelry because of my skin tone and gray hair. 

 

The odd little "room" to the right of this image is the entryway to the downstairs.

Navy and Nude

On this Wednesday date night, I wore a navy knit dress and nude shoes.

Spring has finally arrived here in East Tennessee!

Nude shoes are often the most logical choice to wear with a dress, but they look especially fresh and modern with navy.  These BCBGeneration nude pumps were found at  T.J.Maxx.

The copper, silver, and gold woven clutch is many years old. The pearl, silver, and gold earrings are also several years old. The silver and gold necklace is a recent purchase from Stein Mart. I am also wearing my favorite pantyhose by Hanes. 

The navy knit dress was recently found on a sale rack at Stein Mart.

The Arts

Last evening Mr. Mickey and I attended one of our favorite annual events. The Johnson City Arts Council 4x4 was held at the beautiful Carnegie Hotel.

We arrived early to do this photoshoot for you.

The Johnson City Arts Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to nurture the arts and inspire community arts involvement in our area. As a lifelong artist, this event and this organization are near and dear to my heart. Among the many programs and services they bring to our area is Arts Corps. This is a free after-school arts program for underserved youth in our community. These children might not otherwise have the opportunity to discover their abilities or learn to appreciate the joy that comes from creating something beautiful. Their alternative might easily be drugs, gangs, or teen pregnancy.
 

Each couple in attendance of the 4x4 event pulls a number out of the fishbowl when they arrive. That number corresponds to an original piece of art by a local well-known artist. Attendees willing to trade their artwork are given a tiny flashing light to add to their name tag. If you want to trade, you look for those flashing lights and talk to the person with another one to work out the trade. We were thrilled with our masterpiece by our dear friend Joy McGinnis. The event includes dinner and wine as well as live entertainment and a silent auction. It gives us the chance to visit with many friends as well as to meet new ones.
  

The hotel is one of the most elegant in our region. We always look forward to attending events here or having dinner at their wonderful restaurant, Wellington's. This photo was taken in front of their wine cellar on the lower level.

The Austin Springs SPA is located just to the right of the cellar. I am often a happy guest there!

I wore a silver and rhinestone necklace and a blue jacket from Coldwater Creek with black lined crepe evening pants from Chico's. The shoes and bag are from Stein Mart.

 

Thank goodness the downpours waited until after the event!

Thanks for reading! 

I hope you have a wonderful week.