Date Night Success!

Last night was date night. I tried on about four different looks before I settled upon this one. On those occasions when all the elements of an outfit come together as they should, it is a time to celebrate.

The jacket has the same charcoal gray background as the pants, which have the same tweed like texture. The burgundy scarf picks up the burgundy tones that are woven into the fabric of the jacket. 

The jacket's small, simple collar is turned up, and the scarf is wound around underneath. I'm wearing a necklace of my own design with a long sleeve black tee underneath the jacket. Note that because I have a round face, I rarely ever wear a turtleneck. A V-neck top is my first choice when practical. 

A large portion of the successful look of this outfit is color. I have soft contrast cool coloring. The jacket's tailoring is effortless and cut close to the body with a zipper closure. It has small upturned cuffs. 

The black long-sleeved tee is from Chico's. The pants and the jacket are old from Coldwater Creek. The small leather evening bag is from Stein-Mart, and the simple black high heeled booties are from Nine West.

Thank you for reading! I hope that this post will help you put together a winning look of your own. 

Autopilot Dressing

Last evening we attended the Jonesborough Progressive Dinner, a wonderful holiday ritual for Mickey and me. The event occurs in the oldest town in Tennessee, which is only about eight miles from my home. 

We take a tour of several historic homes throughout the town and have one course of the meal at each home. There is live music, and the owners are there to tell us about the home's history and architecture. Along the route, one of the Historians is on board the bus to tell us about the building we are about to visit and its relation to the town's history.

Knowing that we would be going in and out of the weather and in various settings, I opted for layers that could be peeled off as necessary. 

During the small amount of time I had to get dressed for the event, not one but two dear friends phoned. Friends always take priority, so of course, I chatted with them while getting dressed, which means I had a total of three minutes to actually think about what I was wearing before Mickey arrived. This thrown together at the last minute look carried me through the evening, but it isn't a winner in my eyes. Let's talk about why.

A better look would have been to button the jacket most of the way up, with only the scarf's top fold showing at the neckline. The open jacket and flowing scarf add too much width to my torso, which doesn't balance with the fuller leg tailored pants. Autopilot dressing means I don't have the extra few minutes it takes to apply a critical eye to what I've put together. The upside is that I accomplished what I wanted to by wearing festive layers that could be removed as needed but remain appropriately dressed for the event. (Wearing red is about as close to a Christmas sweater as I will ever come.)

The pants are from Chico's and the red long sleeve tee is also. The jacket is from Geiger. The shoes are from Ros Hommerson. The scarf is something I picked up at Ross, and the evening bag is from T. J. Maxx.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a great week!