In Summary

On Sunday, we had a lovely afternoon brunch before leaving the beautiful resort of Primland for now. We will return soon and often!

I layered the White House Black Market jacket over the white tank top by Peck and Peck via Stein Mart with the black ankle jeans by Chico's for the long drive home. I wore the gray faux reptile booties by Vince Camuto and carried my Zac Posen bag, both from Saks Off 5th.

Let's look back over the past few blog posts to see how I mixed and matched the ten pieces of clothing I took with me on this trip. I took three jackets (it could have been just one white one), three tank tops, one cashmere cardigan, and three pairs of pants. All of the items fit into a rolling carry-on size bag in addition to a hanging bag for the jackets. All of my toiletries and shoes also easily fit into the carry-on bag.

My travel look on the first day.

His mother loved the sweetness of the cartoon character Mickey Mouse. His father admired the baseball player Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane. As a result, Mr. Mickey was so named. He has been collecting Mickey Mouse antique toys of the highest caliber for most of his life. That massive collection is now for sale in its entirety. You can see much of the famous collection as it was once displayed in his museum on this Facebook page.

I wore this to dinner on the first evening.

I wore this casual look to breakfast on Saturday.

This was my look for dinner on Saturday evening.

This was my look for the drive home.

As we left the resort property, we saw this beautiful pheasant pecking about in the grass beside the road. I might have scared him a little when I squealed, "STOP... back up!"

The view of mountains for as far as the eye can see always soothes my soul.

I hope that this series of blog posts help you pack fewer pieces that work in various ways for your next trip.

Visit to the Observatory

On our last evening at Primland, we had a fabulous meal in Elements and then visited the observatory afterward.

I wore this elegant Damee NYC lotus soutache on lace bolero black jacket. Purple Poppy, a boutique in Cape Cod, supplied the jacket.

The pants are Chico's Travelers, and the tank is by Clara Sunwoo. ShopMyFairLady supplied the tank last year. This tank can be worn with the scoop in the front or with the V in the front. The jacket converges in a round neckline, which isn't flattering for my face shape, so I left it open and wore the tank with the V in the front, which gives me the straight lines I need. The pants and the tank are fluid and smooth, with no details. The shoes are effortless Kenneth Cole Reaction sandals. I found them on sale at Dillard's a few years ago. The plain silver clutch was purchased at T.J.Maxx last year.

When I wear a piece of clothing or perhaps a pair of very ornate shoes, I let all the other elements of my look "stand back" to allow that one piece to shine. One focal point per look works well for me. The Michael Kors watch is from Nordstrom.

Our purpose for staying at Primland Resort on this particular weekend was to celebrate ten wonderful years of dating. Mr. Mickey is the perfect life partner for me.

The soothing fire in the center of the room in Elements restaurant is fully encased in glass.

The amuse-bouche was crawfish and polenta. The chef sometimes offers an amuse-bouche, which is a small bitesize complimentary appetizer to tempt your palate for what is to follow.

The artfully served salad included the freshest of greens.

The next course was lobster and grits.

We shared a delightful mousse dessert simply called peanut butter.

After one of the best evening meals ever, we climbed the spiral staircase to the observatory. We were the only guests, so our guide was able to give us the grand tour.

The clouds drifting by prevented us from seeing into deep space for long periods, but we did get to see a few planets and a glowing supernova. 

One must drive for another six miles after entering the gate to arrive at the lodge. The remote location on the top of a mountain makes it an excellent spot for an observatory since there is no light pollution from nearby cities.

Packing Tips

When we travel, I take a core wardrobe of pieces in three colors. I can take a few pieces but have several possible combinations, from casual to dressy as needed.

The color choices for this trip were black, white, and gray. I wore this combination to breakfast on Saturday morning during our recent stay at Primland. J.Jill provided the gray cashmere sweater. The white tank is from Peck and Peck via Stein Mart. The pants are by Lior Paris. The shoes are by Vince Camuto via Saks Off 5th. The watch is by Michael Kors via Nordstrom. The rings were long ago gifts from Mr. Mickey.

I regularly get numerous comments about wearing heels. I am not encouraging you to wear heels. I find that shoes such as these, which have many straps, support the whole foot and the ankles, and are so much more comfortable than ballet flats or (horrors!) flip flops, which often give the foot no support. Mr. Mickey can attest that I can even run in these shoes when I need to.

The view from our table by the window at breakfast was nothing less than spectacular!

That is the observatory tower behind me. We spent the afternoon enjoying being pampered in the Spa at the resort. They thought of everything! There is a theater, library, and workout room as well.

I took two white jackets, one dressy one casual. I also took an ornate black jacket, gray sweater, one white tank, one silver tank, and a black one. The three pairs of black pants were of different fabrics and styles. I took two pairs of shoes in addition to these, which I wore for travel.

In addition to all the other amenities at the resort, there were many original art installations throughout the property.

Our Stay at Primland

We spent our weekend getaway at a luxury resort high in the mountains of Virginia. If you get a chance to visit Primland, by all means, do. It is fabulous in every way!

Photo from the Primland Facebook page.

The lobby is grand but cozy at the same time—photo from the Primland Facebook page.

We were unsure when we would arrive, so we did not make dinner reservations for Friday. We did go down to the 19th Pub for a salad and a mushroom pasta to share.

I love seeing the bear crossing signs in the area. Hopefully, when we return in summer, we will see a bear!

We did see other wildlife on the property.

The views on the approach to the lodge are breathtaking!

Our suite of rooms included sliding panels and heavy drapes that could be drawn for privacy in each of the four areas.

I enjoyed a long soak in that fabulous tub!

A private sitting area with another TV and a desk was in the last section of the suite. Our view from the sitting area is shown below. Pardon the screen, but you can open the windows to take in the refreshing mountain air if you wish.

The sleeping area of our suite of rooms was spacious, and the linens were luxurious. Each room in the lodge is different, and each has an over the top fabulous bathroom.

There is a sitting area outside the elevator on the second floor overlooking the lobby and mountains.

When we went down to the Pub, I wore a silver layered top, old from Chico's. The black pants are by Lior Paris. The shoes are by French Connection from Saks Off 5th. The silver clutch is old from T.J.Maxx.

The jacket is from White House Black Market. I have also ordered a size ten since the size twelve I am wearing here is too large. Because of my wide back and ample bust, ordering a jacket in a size that fits can be challenging. Sometimes a size eight works; other times, I need a size twelve. One of the perils of ordering online is getting the size wrong at times.

The Perfect Weekend!

Early on Friday morning, Mr. Mickey and I left for our special weekend to celebrate ten perfect years of dating.

I wore an easy, comfortable look for the three-plus hour drive to our destination in the mountains of Virginia. This vintage St. John Sport jacket was a gift from my dear friend Mitzi. The black ankle jeans and the silver-gray tank are old from Chico's.

The faux reptile booties by Vince Camuto and the Zac Posen bag are old from Saks Off 5th.

A few well-chosen accessories can make an otherwise plain look stand out. I recently bought this pair of Balmain sunglasses from Saks Off 5th. These sunglasses are so comfortable! There is a big difference between glasses made in France and those made elsewhere.

I found the Michael Kors watch online at Nordstrom. The rings were gifts received from Mr. Mickey over the years.

We stopped in the small town of Floyd for the first time as we traveled through Virginia. We had lunch at an excellent restaurant called Oddf3llows. They offered a great variety of fresh entrees as well as gallery walls filled with local art.

We always enjoy seeing well maintained older homes. I have great admiration for unique architecture.

If you lose a tree to age or weather, you can always carve the trunk into a sculpture!

Have you ever seen a silo (or maybe this is a watchtower) made from handmade bricks? 

The mountains of Virginia offer some spectacular views!

I will tell you more about our wonderful weekend getaway tomorrow.

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.