Spirits of the Season

The kickoff for the holiday season here in Johnson City is the "Spirits of the Season," an American Cancer Society event generously presented by One Stop Wines and Spirits. 

This year the special event was held at the beautiful Johnson City Country Club.

I wore a black sequined and feather-adorned sweater, a gift from my dearest friend, Mitzi. The pants are from the Travelers Collection at Chico's. The suede heels are from Saks Off 5th.

This is a wonderful social event with fine spirits, food, and friends!

My dear friend Maribeth, on the right, wore Christian Louboutin shoes. She was impressed that Mr. Mickey knew the brand and asked to photograph them.

I celebrated the evening with two of my favorite cancer survivors, Jennie above and Mr. Mickey below.

The purpose of this event is to help raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society.

The Circle of Red

I am very proud to be a member of The Circle of Red and Go Red For Women in the Tri-Cities for 2016.

Go Red For Women is doing everything we can to fight heart disease in women. We’re providing life-saving information to women of all ages and ethnicities, we’re increasing gender-focused medical research, and we provide a tight community of like-minded champions who have banded together to form an unstoppable army against heart disease in women.

We held our kick-off meeting last evening. I wore a red tunic sweater from J.Jill with black pants by Loir of Paris from a boutique in Knoxville called The Paris Apartment.

After five or cocktail attire need not mean an uncomfortable slinky dress (you already know I am not a lover of dresses). A fabulous pair of great fitting pants, with a luxurious sweater and sexy shoes, and I am ready for an evening event.

I love the option of a shawl worn across the neck with the ends flowing down the back for an evening wrap, which is ready when you need a bit extra warmth.

My most important message to you is to take care of your body by eating a mostly plant-based diet and get some exercise every day. Heart disease is the number one killer of women; it kills more women than all forms of cancer combined, killing more women than men. Heart disease victims often don’t even know they have it, so they don’t get treated or make healthy lifestyle changes.

On Trend

Sometimes it's fun to throw caution to the wind and try something outside your comfort zone. Maybe you could go a little wild with fringe once in a great while.

I have been admiring this fringe skirt by IC Collection from ShopMyFairLady for weeks.

It was the perfect fun look for lunch with my friends.

I paired it with a denim shirt and a low-slung hook belt, both from Chico's. The animal print clutch is from Express. The Vince Camuto boots are a couple of years old.

Do you ever kick up your heels and wear something that surprises everyone?

Comfortable Stylish Shoes

Flat shoes are rarely comfortable for me; however, these Rockport shoes are winners. They are cute and very comfortable.

This is a regular workday look for me. You may find me in a sweater even in summer because air conditioning always seems too drafty—cashmere sweater by J.Jill.

These Rockport shoes offer style and comfort that will take me wherever I have to go during the day. I do not go barefoot very often, so even when I am at my desk, I am wearing shoes. These shoes are perfect for airports and grocery store visits or any other time I need to walk a great deal. They have the support and cushioning that makes them very comfortable for the whole day, even when I will be standing or walking a lot more than I usually do.

The black tank and necklace are from Chico's. 

The bag is by Zac Posen via Saks Off 5th. 

The pants are by Fabrizio Gianni.

Sweater Weather

I have gone a little crazy with red sweaters. Black is suddenly being overtaken by red in my closet.

Do you go through stages of being drawn to a certain color when you shop? I love shades of red because it goes with every pair of pants in my wardrobe.

At the end of the season last year I bought this sweater from Chico's. I am glad I did because I love the length of it with these Fabrizio Gianni leggings.

The bag is by Zac Posen via Saks Off 5th. The shoes are by Vince Camuto via Dillard's.

Brunch in a Blazer

Getting dressed for the day can be quite a challenge at this time of year. It may be thirty degrees in the morning and then seventy degrees in the afternoon.

My solution to the widely fluctuating temperatures is to top off my look with an elegant cashmere wrap. This luxurious dark grey heather one is from J.Jill.

I wore it across my shoulders during the coolest part of the day. I appreciate that it stays where you put it.

We spent the day in Asheville on Sunday, where we enjoyed a fabulous brunch at the Omni Grove Park Inn's Blue Ridge Artisanal Buffet.

While we were having brunch, I didn't need to wear the wrap. The blue blazer is by Tahari via Saks Off 5th. The silver lace tank top is from Chico's. The ivory pants are from Fabrizio Gianni. The bag is from Express. The suede shoes are by Vince Camuto.

My jacket was draped on the back seat so that it wouldn't wrinkle on the long drive over the mountains to Asheville. Wrapped in cashmere is a great way to travel! I will always take this one with me when I travel by plane. The neutral color goes with everything, and it isn't bulky, but it is warm.

I am often asked about wearing white pants in winter. I do wear white pants and blazers at any time of year if the weather is dry. That old rule of no white after Labor Day is, thankfully, outdated now.

Whether you just drape the wrap around your neck once or cross it over your shoulders, it is perfectly comfortable and elegant.

When I get dressed, the weather is my first consideration. Appropriate for the event is my second. Third, on my checklist is if the look is attractive on my body type.

Elegant Color Combinations

Some color combinations exude elegance and sophistication.

When I want to take a step up from my usual jeans and tee look, I often reach for ivory pants, and a black jersey knit 3/4 length sleeve top. Both these great pieces are from Fabrizio Gianni. They are made in the USA.

This bag is by Ralph Lauren via T.J.Maxx. The shoes are by Halogen via Nordstrom.

The wire wrapped cuff was purchased while on vacation in Hilton Head at S.M. Bradford Co.

I have always had a passion for rich color and texture. This elegant jacket by IC Collection fits my requirements for fit, texture, rich deep color, and a style that can be worn in many ways. I got it from ShopMyFairLady. I enjoy shopping with them because I get such great service and they never suggest things that are not right for me just to make a sale. 

I appreciate the versatility of brown, but it isn't always the right hue for my skin tone. This rich caramel brown is perfect. I will also wear this with all black, white, denim, and even red.

The hem is slightly longer in the back, making it perfect to wear as a jacket or a shirt partially tucked in. 

The buttery faux suede fabric is so soft to the touch. I know I will be wearing this classic for years to come. Those are the only types of pieces I am interested in adding to my wardrobe now.

Combat Boots

I recently wore my black linen biker jacket from Express over a striped tee with three-quarter sleeves, gray jeans from Chico's, and new boots by French Connection from Saks Off 5th. (My Mom called them combat boots.)

Cashmere Forever!

All these years, I thought cashmere was itchy!

I obviously owned something with too much wool in it in my youth because I have long believed that cashmere worn next to my skin would itch. Last year I bought a sweater that changed all that! Now I am a big fan of all things cashmere.

I adore this tunic I got from J.Jill recently. It can be dressed up or down and worn with jeans or leggings or a black skirt, tights, and boots. It is so soft and not at all itchy! I have already worn it a couple of times.

I wore it for the first time to the social hour at the Innisfree B&B last Friday with black jeans and boots. It was the perfect low-key, casual elegant piece for the informal gathering with the other guests. 

Wearing a variety of subtle textures has always appealed to me. I like the idea of wearing a mink scarf with this tunic along with animal print booties to a holiday party.

I could remove the scarf and wear animal print flats for a similar but less dressy option. The wide gold cuff with faux pearls from Chico's is the perfect accessory for an elegant finishing touch.

I have several pieces of cashmere from J.Jill, and there are others I have my eye on. I am so glad I gave cashmere another try!

The Most Versatile Vest!

This is the new cascading vest from Covered Perfectly.

I appreciate that there are so many ways you can wear them!

Belted or not. Tied or not.

I took this gray leopard cascading vest with me on our recent weekend away. Since I was going away for such a short time, I packed very few pieces to take with me. I am so glad I took this. I started to wear it as a vest for breakfast.

However, I added a cashmere sweater from J.Jill over it because it was rather chilly that morning. I actually liked the look since the sweater is as long as the vest in the back, so it just looked like a long scarf.

I also wore it as a neck scarf to dinner later that evening.

This video shows you a few of the ways you can wear these versatile cascading vests.