Brunch With A View

Sunday is a great day to visit the Omni Grove Park Inn.

We often take the beautiful drive along Highway 26 to Asheville just to have brunch at the Inn. 

I enjoy this meal so much because a whole room is devoted to vegetables and salads during their Sunday brunch. I load my plate there first. If I go back for anything else, it is just to have one small taste of less healthy options like potato casserole or baked mac and cheese. These are my secrets to keeping my weight about the same for the last five years. The foods I eat most often include fresh leafy greens and other colorful vegetables and fruits. I never eat until I feel stuffed. I usually eat only two small meals a day. I never eat beef or pork or commercially processed foods, but I may occasionally have a small piece of wild-caught fish.

My look for this day included a top by Clara Sunwoo and the Janet style pants by Lior Paris. Both these items are from ShopMyFairLady.com.

The original Grove Park Inn was built more than one hundred years ago!

The underground Spa was completed just a few years ago. We always enjoy spending the day there!

The view, the flowers, the service, and the ambiance at this resort are always a joy to experience.

There are two massive fireplaces in the Great Hall. One of them is wood burning, so this cart is used to bring wood during the colder months.

The view from our table by the window is always spectacular, no matter the weather.

My top matched the art on display near the Great Hall.

My necklace and Lilly Pulitzer clutch bag are both old from Finely House Couture in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The shoes are by Gianni Bini from Dillard's earlier this year.

One of my all-time favorite places to shop is Shop My Fair Lady on Reseda Boulevard in Tarzana, California. On a recent trip to Los Angeles, I was able to stop by for a quick visit one afternoon. My sweet friends Jon and Julie Rick are the owners. They offer lines that are both comfortable and flattering at any age and something appropriate for any occasion.

Julie is wearing an over-sized Art Print Blouse by Dilemma. I am wearing one of my favorite Clara Sunwoo tops with open shoulders. Jon looks handsome no matter what he wears!

Covered Perfectly on the 4th of July!

One of my favorite new tops from the Covered Perfectly line is the Allyson.

With keyhole details at the neckline and a very forgiving fit and flare silhouette, it is a great top to wear with jeans.

I wore this on the 4th of July. I cannot decorate or wear holiday sweaters, but I will wear red on festive occasions.

Each time I go out to Los Angeles for a Covered Perfectly photoshoot, I can't wait to see all the new styles.

As soon as I slipped this top on at the shoot, everyone around me said: "Oh, you have to get that one!"

I always take advantage of the Buy Two Get One Free offer when I shop at Covered Perfectly. I'll show you the other two choices later. Stay tuned!

The princess seaming and the slightly belled sleeves make this top very comfortable and figure-flattering. I received many compliments!

I wore the new Allyson top from Covered Perfectly with old Anne Klein white jeans from T.J.Maxx with a colorful clutch bag from Finely House Couture in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The sandals are a couple of years old by Jessica Simpson.

Try Something Different

I have found a formula for getting dressed that works for me, but I have fun trying out new silhouettes.

Each time palazzo pants are in style, I am tempted to try them. I love the idea of wearing them in warm weather instead of a sundress. They are cool and comfortable and breezy like a sundress, but your arms and legs don't have to be on full display.

When you find the right top and shoes to wear with them, they are very flattering.

These pants work so well for me because they have a smooth wide waistband instead of a gathered small elastic one. The latter would add twenty pounds visually. The fabric is a very forgiving lightweight knit that skims the body but shows no jiggly bits. 

The black platform shoes are sturdy and easy to walk in. I do not wear high heels with palazzo pants because it is too easy to get the heels caught in them as you are walking.

Silver, blue and white is a classic warm-weather pairing for my cool skin tone.

We were on our way out to dinner this evening, so the little silver box clutch was appropriate. A small straw clutch and a wide brim straw hat with flat silver sandals would make this look more appropriate for the daytime. The hemline of the pants should almost touch the floor. 

I am wearing a size extra-small pants here, so if you buy these, go down a size. The top is a size medium.

The box clutch and sunglasses are old from T.J.Maxx. The shoes are by Kenneth Cole via Saks Off 5th.

The top and the palazzo pants are by Clara Sunwoo via my friends at ShopMyFairLady.com.

One Color Dressing

I decide what to wear based on the weather first and then what is appropriate for the event. Finally, to complete the look, I added my personality with accessories.

The day after returning from Los Angeles, we went out to dinner. I was still in a Southern California state of mind, so my makeup was minimal, and I wore cool shades of soft gray and white with sandals. 

When the weather is hot and humid, I wear minimal makeup because I know it will become smudged little rivers running down my face within a few minutes. So instead of my usual liquid foundation, I blot on a bit of loose Lancôme powder down the middle of my face and on my cheeks near my nose (not in the eye area!). My eye makeup is also minimal in warmer weather.

The best place to match your foundation is on your upper chest (décolleté area). If it blends and becomes invisible there, you have the right color. Don't you just hate it when your foundation makes your face look like it belongs to another body?

This effortless, breezy style includes a high-low hem tank top from White House|Black Market. The long, almost sheer silver-gray cardigan is old from Chico's. The white light-weight jeans-style pants are old by Fabrizio Gianni.

Accessories include sunglasses by Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J.Maxx, an oversized face silver watch from Michael Kors, with a small silver link bracelet, which was a gift from Mr. M.

The bag is old from Express. The shoes are old by Calvin Klein.

When I shop, it usually replaces something that is starting to look too worn, not because I want the newest trend. Instead, I look for classic pieces that look good on my frame, in colors that flatter my complexion and can be mixed and matched with what I already have. Those are my secrets for a successful and carefully edited wardrobe that works all year round.

A Date Night Look

The photo below shows one side of my tiny shade garden.

When I owned my previous home, I spent many hours working in my huge flower gardens every day during the growing season. It soon became way too much for me to take care of alone, so I had to hire help to maintain it properly.

I am enjoying a downsized version of homeownership very much!

This tiny garden still allows me to enjoy watching things that I have planted grow. That primal urge to dig in the dirt comes to me every spring without fail.

On a recent Wednesday date night, I wore a top that is a couple of years old from Chico's. The pants by Fabrizio Gianni are from last year. The shoes are by Sam Edelman from last year. The necklace is an estate piece from Finely House Couture in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The sunglasses are by Michael Kors.

Blue has always been my favorite color, so mixing blues with white pants for summer still feels like a natural combination for me. I often look to nature for color combinations. Think of a vivid summer sky, white fluffy clouds, and the clear water of a lagoon surrounded by white sand and palms.

We had dinner on the terrace at the Blackthorn Club.

The flowers around the patio of our club are always majestic!

July 16, 2016, marks five years of Fifty, not Frumpy fun! I have enjoyed discovering what works for me and my lifestyle and sharing it all with you. I hope I have inspired you to only purchase what you truly love and to enjoy wearing it in many ways for years to come. These days I find that I am buying fewer items, giving me more time and money to enjoy fantastic adventures!

The small straw clutch is old from T.J.Maxx. I use accessories to change the look of my basics. Handbags, shoes, scarves, and jewelry are elements that can give your look personality. They can make my combinations of traditional things I have owned for years look more up to date.

Travel To L.A.

I am back from a week in Los Angeles modeling for Covered Perfectly and visiting with my friend Pauline Durban, who started the company.

Mr. Mickey took me to the airport early in the morning on Sunday. I wore the black and white Wendy, Covered Perfectly top with black Tribal pants to travel. The silver flat sandals are by Michael Shannon from DSW shoes. The handbag is old by Cole Haan, and the luggage is by CALPAK. Both items are from T.J.Maxx.

I spent one of the days I was in L.A., roaming around the mall at Sherman Oaks. It was over 100 degrees each day, so outside activity was kept to a minimum. 

I wore old Vince Camuto sandals and an old wrap over the top from Saks Off 5th. The off white color looks excellent with Lior Paris khaki pants from ShopMyFairLady.com. I like these pants so much because they have a smooth wide waistband to wear with all my Covered Perfectly tops. There are no lumps, bumps, and zippers to show under the luxurious knit fabric. Since I never fully tuck in a top, that is the only type of pants I buy these days.

It was great to catch up with my talented and beautiful young friend Lex Mejia, who has been the makeup artist for Covered Perfectly shoots for years. On the day of the shoot, I wore the black Fit and Flare over leggings by Hue.

Above is one of the photos from this shoot. I am modeling the great-looking Simple Comfort Patterned, a new Covered Perfectly top. This is a great gray top to wear with white, blue, or black blazers or vests with jeans. You already know I love that!

An unbelievable amount of work and days of preparation goes into a shoot. When it is over, we breathe a sigh of relief and take a day off to have lunch on the beach, at eye level with the Pacific Ocean!

The Sunset Restaurant at Malibu has a bank of windows that open to a fabulous view of the beach. You can feel the ocean breeze on your face as you dine.

Pauline says, "Can you guess who had what for lunch?"

On another night, we had dinner with a couple of friends at a delightful restaurant in Brentwood. Pauline asked the server for mayonnaise to put on her slightly dry turkey burger. She replied, "Oh, we don't have mayonnaise. We are a vegan restaurant." I am surprised Pauline didn't ask her from what plant they got that turkey burger?

While in Malibu, we visited with one of Pauline's longtime friends who lives on a hill overlooking the Pacific.

I was fascinated with her friend's gardens. Agave is such a majestic plant!

Below is her friend's sweet blue-eyed pup!

A fabulous starfish was on a bench outside her front door.

Below is the entrance to another mall. I love all those palm trees in California!

After a long and productive week, it was time to return home to Tennessee. I snapped this photo as we were about to land.

Mr. Mickey was there to pick me up. Can you imagine all the attention he got as we walked through the airport carrying a card, candy, and flowers to meet me?

I wore my old Chico's top with the silver do-dads over black Lior Paris pants to travel home.

All About Handbags

Today, I share some of my handbag care and storage tips with you, along with a new giveaway. Watch the video below for more info on how you could win this bag by Michael Kors.

The built-in shelves in my closet are the perfect place to store bags and clutches, as well as cuffs and bangle bracelets. 

A couple of years ago, I started using dust covers to protect my bags. I also keep them stuffed with tissue so that they don't lose their shape. I am making smarter purchases now, so I will be keeping my bags for several years, which means I want to take care of them.

I store clutches in a drawer for easy viewing and to keep them free from dust.

This video shows how I organize what I carry in my bags to switch them out so easily. You will also learn how to enter to win the bag I am giving away on the 4th of July!

Congratulations, Pat Willoughby!

You are the winner of the Michael Kors handbag giveaway.