A Suit ... or Not

Do you have suits that you never wear?

This vintage Chanel suit was found on 1stdibs.com for $1,500.

Treat the pieces as separates instead, and you may find yourself reaching for them often.

It has been a trend to wear Chanel inspired jackets with faded jeans and heels for the past few years. That has become too predictable now, so I like to pair a jacket with more tailored pieces instead.

Pair the skirt or pants with a cardigan and a tank and pointed toe flats.

Think outside the suit!

Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog. I enjoy hearing from you!

Closets Revealed!

Readers have asked to see my closets to learn about my organization strategy, so this post is a tour of my closets and storage.

The walk-in closet off the master bath holds my clothes, small clutch bags, hats, and most of my jewelry. That black object in front of the blanket basket is a stool.

I organize clothes according to color and dressy or casual. Jackets are on the top, and tees are on the bottom of the right side. Pajamas, dresses, tunics, winter pants, and jeans are in the center. (Summer pants are in an upstairs closet for now.) 

You can see the left side in the mirror reflection, which holds blouses and tank tops and casual jackets and sweaters.

The folding doors are fully mirrored, and there is a built-in chest to the left. I keep jewelry in the chest and in the mahogany jewelry box on top, which was a gift from Mr. Mickey. Clutch bags are in those colorful storage boxes, and hats are in the round hat boxes. If they aren't so large, they won't fit in them. (Never wear a hat wider than your shoulders.) The one hat that you see is almost there. I have never found a box to fit it.

The best silver cleaner ever is in the gray jar. It can be found at Target. Look for Connoisseurs® Silver Jewelry Cleaner.

Shallow trays for organizing an office drawer are great to keep jewelry from getting tangled. They can be stacked in deeper drawers. You can usually find them at Walmart or any office supply store.

I bought that mirror in an antique store for $5. It was matte purple! I took it apart and painted it to look like rococo Italian carved wood. 

I store my shoes and scarves in the closet of a small upstairs bedroom I've named my dressing room.

I found both of these shoe storage systems at Bed Bath and Beyond.

On the back of the door is more shoe storage. 

  
The guest bedroom has shelves along the sidewalls, perfect for storing larger daytime bags and tote bags.

I keep bags stuffed with tissue to hold their shape. 

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Have a great week! 

The Winner of the March Giveaway is...

The gift this month includes the book "Frumpy to Fabulous" by Natalie Jobity, a white no-iron shirt from Chico's, an animal print square scarf by Oscar de la Renta, a rhinestone trimmed black satin evening bag, and an original pair of pink glass opal pierced earrings created by Susan Street the editor of this blog.


Congratulations, Sharon Fess Theriault!

You are the winner!

To add your name in the hat for a chance to win the April gift, just make sure you are following the blog via any of the methods on the right side of this page.

Easter Sunday

I hope you enjoyed Easter Sunday with family and friends.

It was cold and rainy here today, but my whole family all got together to attend church with my parents. My Mom was so proud when her minister told Mr. Mickey and me that we looked like we just stepped out of a magazine.

There was about an hour break in the rain so that we could snap these pictures.

 

The nude shoes by BCBGeneration and the umbrella are from T.J. Maxx. The gold jewelry has been in my collection for many years.

I own very few dresses since I wear a size 8 on the top half and a size 4 on the bottom half. Knit wrap style dresses are about the only ones I even consider because the cost of tailoring is usually more than I paid for the dress. That's also part of the reason you see me in so many separates. I bought this dress at Stein Mart last year and the handbag there this year. The champagne-colored jacket was purchased at the Fig Leaf boutique in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Dinner with Friends

On most Friday evenings, we join a group of friends for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Gourmet & Co, here in Johnson City. 

Our weather continues to be unusually cold for this time of year, but I am craving color with those warm jackets, so I added a fuchsia long sleeve tee under this one you have seen many times before. The bright color really added a new interest to it. The lipstick is Merle Norman's 'Cranberry,' which looks great with fuchsia.   

This jacket was purchased from Coldwater Creek last year, and the gray side zip pants are my old favorites from Talbots. 

The matte silver chain necklace is from Stein Mart, as is the tee. The clutch is Kenneth Cole Reaction via T.J. Maxx. The shoes are Ros Hommerson.