A Break

Do you ever feel exhausted after a long trip? 

I must admit I was not very productive yesterday.

Mr. Mickey took me out for an early dinner after I finally woke up from my nap, so I had to get dressed. Otherwise, I think I would have stayed in my pajamas all day.

I wore turquoise glass earrings with a navy high-low tunic from Chico's last year and white jeans from Chico. The shoes are from Macy's. The bag is from T.J.Maxx. 

This video shows you all the clothes I packed for my trip to the Covered Perfectly photo shoot.

The Covered Perfectly Photo Shoot Week

Being a model for Covered Perfectly is such an honor.

I recently traveled to Los Angeles for the fall photo shoot. I always try to take the minimum amount of basic clothing pieces to mix and match looks without having to take a large bag to have to check and possibly lose.

I spent almost the whole week in L.A., so I got to meet the beautiful Susan Blakey from the blog Femme d’un Certain Age while I was there.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Ca Del Sole in Toluca Lake. 

The photoshoot was on Friday, which means I got to have my makeup done by the extremely talented Lex Mejia.

My sweet friend Pauline Durban owns Covered Perfectly in the royal blue Boatneck, and Mary Ann Simonetti is in the black and malt Color Block top. Mary Ann was the winner of the contest sponsored by Covered Perfectly. The winner got to spend the day with us at the Covered Perfectly photoshoot, have her makeup professionally done, take home the top of her choice, and have a page on the Covered Perfectly website dedicated to her. Isn't that a great contest? I enjoyed meeting Mary Ann so much. I hope we can get together again in the future.

I love being with this hard-working group of women. Everyone is so professional and kind. It is a special sisterhood that I feel very honored to be included in.

I am wearing a cute Piping design. Kristen, Pauline's assistant, is looking at the computer screen, checking the pictures as Nichole, the photographer, is taking them. Pauline is making sure that the top hangs perfectly.

After the busy week of working hard to prepare for and completing the photo shoot, it was time for a day of sight-seeing and rest. Pauline was such a great tour guide and hostess!

Above is the boardwalk at Venice Beach, and below is the entry to the Santa Monica Pier.

Rodeo Drive!

Beverly Hills!

The L.A. skyline from Mulholland Drive.

A Break

I will be in Los Angeles for a while, so I will leave you with this casual look.

A lightweight chambray shirt with slim-fitting white jeans is a timeless look that works for me on almost any casual day.

I paired this Chico's chambray shirt with white J.Jill ankle jeans and Rampage tan platform sandals from Belk. The darker brown belt is from Calvin Klein. Large silver hoop earrings, a silver statement ring with a blue tourmaline stone, and a silver and gold coin charm bracelet complete the look.

Have a wonderful week!

Shake Rattle and Roll

Whenever we are in Abingdon, VA, Foxglove Antiques is one of the first places I visit.

There are so many items here for the home and garden that make my heart sing.

I am visiting with Karen McClanahan, the beautiful owner of the shop. I only purchased a couple of books today. After downsizing a few years ago, I now have to curtail my purchases. Otherwise, I would have needed a truck today.

As Karen and I were chatting, another store owner popped in, and the conversation turned to shoes.

All of the items offered at Foxglove Antiques are top-notch and include many periods and styles. It is such a pleasure to see all of the elegant pieces. 

My look today includes a silver necklace and a long cardigan in silver and white from Chico's. The jeggings are from Ann Taylor. The tank is by Peck & Peck from Stein Mart. The bag is from Express. The sandals are by BCBG from Macy's. The sunglasses are by Tommy Hilfiger from T.J.Maxx.

We were in Abingdon to attend "Shake Rattle and Roll" at the Barter Theatre. This show is a fabulous tribute to Elvis Presley by Scot Bruce and his extremely talented musicians. This was such a great performance! It was a packed house, and everyone had such a good time.  Scot did an awesome and respectful tribute that was funny at times but brought tears to my eyes at others. Just as Elvis did so many years ago, I saw him perform with my girlfriends as a teen in the seventies.

We attended the matinée performance of "Shake Rattle and Roll" and later had a wonderful dinner at Figaredos Bistro on Main Street.

Choosing Accessories Tips

How do you decide which accessories to wear with your look?

My method of getting dressed follows. I often wear white pants and a white tank in summer because it is the coolest base color to wear. Next, I decide which shoes look best with the pants I am wearing, keeping in mind where we are going and how much I will be walking. I often wear heels if we are going out to dinner or to some event that involves mostly sitting. I do enjoy my heels, but I don't normally wear them for a full day of shopping, for example. 

Next, I decide which jacket I will wear. This light-weight Travelers jacket from Chico's is a couple of years old. It has strong Asian inspired details such as a Mandarin collar and bamboo-shaped buttons. Even the fabric makes me think of a beautiful hand-painted silk kimono. These details led me to this Asian inspired silver and black tassel necklace, which is also old from Chico's. Because this necklace is such a bold statement piece, I wore smaller silver and crystal hoop earrings and two silver and crystal rings only.

Wearing too many accessories can take us in the wrong direction. Simple, understated items with one or two bold dramatic pieces can pull your look together and show your personality.

The jacket colors include black, white, silver, gold, and taupe, so I chose this evening clutch via Saks Off 5th, black and gold hardware with a burnished gold/taupe color body. I always carry a small clutch to dinner as opposed to a bulky daytime bag.

The nude sandals are old from Belk. The color continues the unbroken line of white/pale tones from head to toe, making me look taller and leaner. For example, if I had worn a pair of black platform shoes, they would have been too bulky in scale for the delicate jacket and pants. The black shoes would also have visually cut me off at the ankles, making me look shorter.

  

The fabulous slim-fitting smooth front pants are by Mesmerize from My Fair Lady.