Predictable?

Never let it be said that my look is predictable.

You don't often see me in a dress, but today I am showing you a versatile one. It can take you through three seasons and can be worn in a variety of ways.

We had high humidity and heat on Sunday, so I surrendered and let my hair air dry on its own without the aid of a blow dryer and large round brush. I also wore an easy-breezy soft, lightweight chambray dress from Foxcroft.

I will wear this comfortable and cool dress with sandals and minimal jewelry in the hot summer months.

When the temperatures drop, I will layer the dress with a slim-fitting black tank, leggings, boots, and a low slung belt for a bit of spice. These leggings are actually Calvin Klein yoga style pants for workouts. They have three little gold buttons at the back. I appreciate clothing that can serve more than one purpose.

I wear two sizes larger on the top half of my body, so when I buy a dress to fit my shoulders and bust, the rest of the dress is quite billowy. This is the main reason you often see me wearing a tank, pants, and jacket or cardigan combo.

I have several favorite pieces from Foxcroft that have served me well for several years. This dress will be part of my wardrobe for a long while, not only because of the high quality but also because of the classic, versatile style.

Summer Staple

Great fitting white pants could take me through the whole summer.

 

I look for a smooth flat front or no waistband and versatile straight legs made from a fabric that can be dressed up for the evening.

Success! These Audrey Stretch Pants from Fabrizio Gianni fulfilled all my needs.

There is a side zipper, so there is no bulky closure in the front to show under silky tops such as this black layered one (old from Chico's).

The bag is old from T.J.Maxx. The necklace was a gift from Mr. Mickey. The shoes are by Steve Madden.

These pants are made in the USA from 96% cotton, so they are very lightweight and cool. They are also on sale right now at Fabrizio Gianni.

Bring on Your Badass with Style!

This is my first in a series of collaborations with experts in many fields to bring you content that will hopefully expand our minds and enrich our lives.

Have you noticed that you suddenly get a little strut in your walk when you put on certain items from your closet? 

I recently finished doing a Seven Day Challenge with a group of wonderful women. The challenge was called Baby Boomer Woman-Now is Your Time to Fire Up Your Life, and it was so exciting to watch these women start to do things that they had previously shied away from and to feel more powerful.

Life Coach Marianne Cherico orchestrated the challenge, so I asked her if we could share some of that information with you.

Here is the part that each of us found to be most fascinating.

One of our favorite challenges for women was called “Bring on Your Badass.” Marianne began by explaining the definition of a badass, so I will let her take over the blog post from here.

Marianne, in her Badass Look

"A badass is a really cool, confident woman who knows who she is and doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone.

She is not about ego; she shows up in the world authentically without making excuses for who she is.

A badass is cool and sexy and comfortable in her own skin. She does what she wants. She is not worried about whom she does or doesn’t impress, and she is uninfluenced by fads.

A badass wear what pleases her, and she does this with inner confidence. She rocks it!

She also spends her time how she wants, eats what she wants, listens to music she likes, and indulges in things that bring her joy.

The challenge was for each of these women was to post a picture of themselves wearing or doing something that made them feel badass. 

I coach women to feel empowered, so this is one of my tools to tease that innate power out of them, to show them how what they wear might affect the way they feel about themselves.

It was so exciting to see these women come out of their shells. Doing this challenge and being encouraged by myself and the other women in the group gave them permission to put on their sassy pants and go for it.

I found it most interesting that they all tried something that was a stretch for them and may have seemed small by others' standards, but it was huge.

The main thing was that in their inner game, they felt BA.

One woman posted a picture of herself in skinny jeans and a jean jacket.  Her badassery may have gone unnoticed by others, but to her, she was rocking it from the inside out." 

Christine is rocking her look.

“I don’t think anyone would call me a badass. I chose this outfit for my photo op because I feel young and confident when I wear my skinny jeans and a jean jacket. Maybe even a little sassy.” 




"And there was Leah, a woman after my own heart because I also feel badass in animal print," Leah said,

Leah in her animal print.

"I love cowboy hats. Mix with a little Leopard, and you got it going on! My friend added the cats." 

"Another fabulous woman donned a biker chick outfit. She said, “This is my bad-ass look. Biker chick. I told my husband it is amazing the swagger that develops when you put on black leather.”

"And last but not least, here is the fabulous Susan Street, our sweet Southern girl, rocking her BA outfit." Susan says, "It was probably my most badass outfit to date. I felt confident, healthy, bold, and brave. Just a few years ago, I was almost fifty pounds overweight and could barely walk a block in tennis shoes, much less walk a mile in four-inch heeled booties. Life is better at 58 than it was at 38. Way better!"

Susan in leggings, leather, and boots.

"The point of this exercise is that we all have some badass in us. Tapping into this part of yourself helps you show up authentically and from a place of innate power.

It helps you take on the world with an inner swagger.

So next time you are feeling small or want to start playing a bigger game in your life, think about how can you bring on your badassery?"

Thank you, Marianne, for contributing to this project and allowing me to share part of your challenge with my readers. I hope it gives them something to think about the next time they need a little boost.

Marianne Cherico helps Baby Boomer women create a life filled with joy, passion, and purpose so that they can create a Smokin’ Hot Second Half. She is proud to be a member of this generation of women who changed the world for women, presenting future generations with limitless opportunities to thrive and grow into meaningful and authentic lives. 

Marianne's sincerest pleasure is to help these women find their purpose, work through limiting and self-sabotaging beliefs, and step into their own brand of magnificence. You can get a taste of Marianne’s teaching by downloading her free report “How to Plan for a Smokin’ Hot Second Half” on her website here.

Taste Of The Town

Last evening we attended the Taste Of The Town event to raise money for the Johnson City public art installments.

Throughout downtown, there are parks and benches, and art installments for the enjoyment of everyone.

Above is "Genisis," and below is "He Stopped and Turned to the Light," just two of the many rotating art installments here in Johnson City, Tennessee.

The event was well attended!

There was live music and a variety of dishes to try from downtown restaurants.

I was so happy to catch up with some of my sweet friends! Lynda, Sally, and Pam are shown me below. 

Can you believe Sally is 80? She always looks so elegant!

Lynda is mine across the street, neighbor. She makes us laugh so much! She may be only four feet eleven inches tall, but her personality is seven feet tall!

I wore more pieces from My Fair Lady, where they have just received lots of new styles. This open shoulder top is by Clara Sunwoo. They are so comfortable and sassy.

The pants are by Mesmerize. I love the fact that they are dressier, and they have a smooth waistband and zipper closure with no loops or buttons to show under smooth tops.

Both these pieces are made in the USA and offered by the shop My Fair Lady, located in "The Alley In The Valley" 6000 Reseda Blvd. in Tarzana, California. 

My shoes are by Nine West Style. The bag is from Stein Mart. The necklace is from Chico's.

Electric Blue!

Do you take the day off from your regular routine and spend it with those you love, doing nothing special?

I am wearing a cool, comfortable pair of electric blue pants by Fabrizio Gianni. These pants are so soft and lightweight! They are made in the USA, and they keep their shape all day, even in warm weather.

I spent this beautiful day with my sister and two of our beloved cousins enjoying gardens, cottages, lunch, shopping, and ice cream in the park. We talked and laughed for the whole day. It's a therapy that truly soothes the soul to be with those you are most comfortable and happy with.

Since we would be walking for much of the day, I wore flat comfy sandals by Aerosoles and a tank top with a mesh sleeve lightweight Chico's jacket, which are all old.

With me are my life-long best friends and first playmates. My sister, Glenda, is wearing the black top and to my left are Donna and Sherry. I am sorry that more of my sweet cousins could not join us for this beautiful day in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Hot Weather Dressing

What do you wear when the temps climb into the 90's?

We rarely have hot weather like that here. For those days, I have a couple of short sleeve tops that only get worn when it is too hot for anything else. This blue cross wrapped front top is old from Chico's. The white jeans are by NYDJ last year from Dillard's end of season sale.

 

The shoes from Nordstrom.

Now for the takeaway tips for this outfit. If I show skin on top, such as bare arms or a low neckline, I cover up on the bottom. 

When I wear boot cut jeans, I never wear heels with them. The silhouette just isn't right. I always wear flats or low boots with long jeans ending in a wider leg opening such as these.

I save my trendy heeled sandals to wear with a straight leg and ankle-length pants. 

The cross wrapped style of the blouse and the half-tuck are perfect for those of us who have less than flat, smooth middles.

Here is one of my favorite cross wrapped style tops from Covered Perfectly. I also love those three-quarter length sleeves!

The Magic V

A wise woman knows how to draw attention to what she considers her best feature and away from what she isn't fond of.

Because of my round face, I always enjoy wearing a V-neck top. The straight lines of square sunglasses offset my round face, as do the straight lines of a V-Neck top. This beautiful royal blue V-Neck top is from Covered Perfectly.

You may have noticed that when I wear a scoop neck or round neck top, I almost always offset that with a long necklace that forms a V, or I wear a jacket that forms a vertical neckline. The red simple comfort top above is from Covered Perfectly.

Since it is too hot to wear a jacket here right now, this sheer cascading vest from Covered Perfectly is just the right layering piece for summer weather. It can be worn loose or tied in various creative ways to provide those all-important vertical lines that diminish the shelf effect of a large bust. 

Surprise! All the shoes in today's post are flats. Notice that they have almond-shaped or pointed toes. There is a fool the eye technique in place here as well. A more pointed toe visually elongates my short thick calves.

The picture above shows you the difference a round neck tee makes with a round face. This is the most rounded neckline I own, but it is still not the crew neck that most tees have. I would never wear those. I try to at least always show the collar bones.

Another important thing to note is the beige bra I am wearing above and the black bra I am wearing below. Whenever you wear a dark color top, always wear a black bra to don't get the headlights effect from the camera flash.

There is a magic ratio in the depth of a V-neck. The distance between the red lines below is about the same. That equal distance would be the lowest plunge I could ever wear comfortably.

While we are on the subject of subtle things you can do to draw the eye up to your face, let's talk about lip color. I am often guilty of wearing an almost nude lipstick, which does nothing for me, so I switch to a brighter, more intense lip color so that my face doesn't fade away. As we age, our coloring becomes softer and more muted. I also fill in my brows and wear upper lid eyeliner smudged with a thin dark line of shadow to have a softer smokey effect. Everything should be blended and blotted well so that your features are enhanced softly.

You can find more fabulous tops created for us gals over 50 at Covered Perfectly. Fifty, not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. There are several styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

I hope these tips help you to achieve a look that is flattering for you as well.

What Do You Eat?

That question comes my way so often, I decided to share more information about nutrition with you today.

The items I am wearing here are all from Chico's, including the necklace.

The Cynthia Rowley shoes were old from Belk last year.

I was also unsure what to eat before reading the book "Eat to Live" by Doctor Joel Fuhrman. After I started making better choices at every meal, it took me about six months to lose forty pounds. Better health was my goal, but weight loss was certainly a plus.

I drink more than a gallon of filtered water each day. Sometimes I add lemon, lime, or cucumber.

Breakfast is usually this hot cereal recipe, topped with whatever fresh fruits are in season.

I try to eat all these items daily.

At least an ounce of raw seeds and nuts.

At least three fresh fruits.

A large bowl of green salad.

A large serving of steamed greens.

A cup of dried beans cooked in water only. (Add the spices and herbs of your choice afterward.)

I also eat tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, herbs, and garlic on most days.

I normally have only two meals a day. If I am very active on certain days, I will have another salad or some fruit or some raw almonds later in the day. I eat breakfast at about 6 every morning. My lunchtime is around 2 on most days.

It is important to let your body rest by sleeping well for about seven or eight hours and not eating all the time. If you graze or snack often, your body is constantly working to digest food.

I take a brisk walk around my neighborhood each morning for about three miles. I move around a lot during the day as well. I do not watch TV but rather read a book to unwind before bed.

 

Never eat in front of any kind of screen! You will likely eat a lot more than you think you have. Use your good china and set a place for yourself. Enjoy your food and take your time eating it. Stop to chew well and breath deeply as you eat. 

In the photos above, Mr. Mickey and I are on our way to dinner. We eat out a couple of times each week. I normally order a salad with dressing on the side, a glass of wine, and if I am starving, once a week, I will have a fish entrée such as grilled wild-caught salmon with vegetables. We sometimes also share a dessert.

Fifty, not Frumpy Anniversary!

The Facebook page Fifty, not Frumpy, began four years ago today, and the blog followed shortly thereafter.

I hope that I have inspired you to dress well, go out on dates, enjoy more fruits and vegetables, and enjoy the little things in life even more than you did before you found my blog.

On this celebratory evening, I am wearing items from ShopMyFairLady. The IC Collection semi-sheer blouse can be found here. The reversible neckline white tank is from Clara Sunwoo, and it can be found here. The ankle-length Mesmerize pants can be found here.

The shoes are from Dillard's last spring. The necklace, bag, and jewelry are all old.

I also hope I have inspired you to get pedicures, manicures and get your hair styled in a great easy-care look that works well for your face shape.

I am sending you love and light. I hope we have many more fun years together!