Trip to the Beach!

We enjoy visiting with our dearest friends each year when they participate in the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival. We stay at their beach house, so I get to go for a walk on the beach every morning if the weather is agreeable.

Walking on the beach is one of life's greatest pleasures for me. I forget time and could easily walk for miles before I even realize it.

I wore a Clara Sunwoo cut-out sleeve tunic and Chico's ankle jeans with Vince Camuto sandals for a girl's day out, including shopping, lunch, more shopping, and finally a nap!

My friends Nancy and Mitzi are so much fun to be with! They are the perfect travel buddies because they are always positive, considerate, and easy-going. We were having so much fun that other women commented several times during the day that they wanted to join us.

We enjoyed a great lunch on the patio at the Topside in Harbor Town before putting all our packages into the car.

Now it's time to relax by the pool before getting ready for our fun night out.

The view across the pond can include any number of different wildlife and birds.

On another day, we ran errands and did some more shopping and sightseeing.

My easy casual look includes Chico's ankle jeans, a white tank, and a lightweight knit jacket from J.Jill.

On Halloween night, we all got dressed in fun costumes and went out to dinner at Alfred's, our favorite Island restaurant. Mr. Mickey was Al Capone, and I was Marilyn. So much fun!

On our final day at the beach, we spent the day looking at beautiful cars and having a gourmet lunch under the tents at the Sunday's Motoring Festival & Concours d'Elegance on Hilton Head Island.

That's our friends' beautiful award-winning car behind me!

The cars were amazing, and there was a large crowd to enjoy looking at them.

I hope you enjoyed the snapshots of my too-short trip to the beach.

Chamber Music at The Paramount

Last week we took a night off from our busy schedules to listen to the Chamber Players at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol.

I wore a studded front faux leather-trimmed jacket from Dillard's from last year over black pants and a black tank from Chico's. The shoes are by 9W loves In Style.

The old theater has been beautifully restored and maintained.

The Perfect Cable Poncho

I love wearing this cable knit poncho from Foxcroft.

While I rarely wear a sweater in cable knit, this poncho works as the perfect outer layer. It takes a long sleeve black tee and jeans to the next level without adding the normal bulky look I get when I wear a sweater.

The leather buckle detail at the neckline is just the right edgy touch to make the poncho feel special and updated.

Foxcroft Sequined Blouse

You may not think of Foxcroft for evening wear, but they do have something for every occasion in your life!

I wore this black fully sequined blouse from Foxcroft to dinner and the Symphony on Saturday evening.

Since our weather was quite chilly that evening, I topped off the look with a black ruana with faux leather trim. I wore tailored black pants with black evening pumps. One of my friends stopped by to say hello at the intermission of the symphony. She told me I looked like a movie star. I know it was the sequined blouse that dazzled her!

We have had rain and overcast skies for several days, so finding the light to take a good photo of this beautiful blouse has been very difficult. We took these photos to show the detail of the blouse on another day. I wore it with the front tucked in a bit to accentuate the waistline on the symphony evening.

Casual Look

We went out for bagels and ran a few errands on Sunday so a comfortable casual look was perfect for the day.

The knit blazer is old from Chico's, as are the jeans and the tank and the necklace. Basic pieces in neutral solids can serve you well for many years and in a variety of combinations. I invest in the best quality I can afford and only buy what I love. This ensures that I can always reach in my closet and pull out three pieces that will go together and look nice either alone or combined with other pieces.

The flat shoes are by Born via Dillard's a couple of years ago.

Even when I am dressing in casual comfortable looks I still want to be presentable and polished.

Foxcroft Sweater

I have been wearing Foxcroft items for a few years, and I always find the high quality and classic style to be wise additions to my wardrobe.

This red asymmetrical cowl neck sweater is one of my favorite pieces from Foxcroft. The loose, bold style of this sweater looks great paired with narrow dress pants and cute shoes.

The pants are old from Chico's. The box clutch is old via T.J.Maxx. The shoes are by Charles Jourdan via Saks Off 5th.

I wore this look to dinner with friends on Friday evening. I received lots of compliments on the sweater. I love the fact that it is also very comfortable.

The Lady of The Fountain

New bricks have been installed and were dedicated yesterday at the Lady of The Fountain at Fountain Square in historic downtown Johnson City, TN.

The purchase of bricks and plaques by the community helped fund the restoration of the fountain. The continued sale of bricks will help fund other beautification and projects in Downtown Johnson City.

Dignitaries from the local government and some of the folks who worked in landmark shops that were once found in downtown Johnson City were in attendance for the unveiling ceremony.

On this beautiful breezy fall day, I wore a tank top and jeans from Chico's. The blazer is from Stein Mart. The layered necklace is from Monkee's of Johnson City. The bag is from Express.

The blue suede shoes are by 9W Loves InStyle.

Daily Favorite

We all have our favorite looks to throw on and go out the door on a day to day basis. My first choice in colder weather is a blazer over a tank and jeans with short booties.

I added a black and white polka dot Ralph Lauren silk-like scarf from Stein Mart. One of my favorite ways to wear a scarf is draped around my neck with a jacket holding it in place. This allows me to add interest and pretty details to my look without adding any bulk to my bust or middle. This works great unless I am wearing a scarf for warmth. In which case, I try to make the tie low at the throat instead of over my bust.

The pop of red from the Tahari bag keeps the look from being too drab. I enjoy carrying a bag that is an accent color. The bag is old from T.J.Maxx.

The tank and jeans are from Chico's. The jacket is from Express. The short black high-heeled boots are a couple of years old by Nine West.

Little Luxuries

Coming home and closing the door on the world to relax in my own home is a luxury I never take for granted. Just a few short years ago, that was only a dream for me.

Being surrounded by the objects I have collected in my travels, along with living orchids and fresh-cut flowers, puts me at ease.

The search has been on for the right lamp with an oval shade for some time. I found the perfect one this week to light the way to my breakfast nook. I love to use lighting to create a focal point or to encourage visitors into a room.

A beautifully scented candle can make my whole home feel warm and welcoming.

Live plants and stacks of books give me a connection to nature and make me feel happy.

A freshly made bed with "baby's bottom" soft sheets and a new magazine to read makes for the perfect evening! I love to use rich dark colored sheets that make me feel warm and cozy in fall and winter even before I turn on the electric blanket. 

These sheets just arrived this week. They really are called "Baby's Bottom"! They are the softest, most generous fitting sheets I have found. Even if you have a pillow top mattress, these will fit properly. Arthritic hands really hurt when you have to struggle with a fitted sheet that barely exceeds the mattress. These are a delight! I got them from Perfect Linens. This color is called espresso, and I knew that the color would go perfectly with my comforter set as soon as I saw them.

This is a $35 discount code for readers of Fifty, not Frumpy!NotFrumpy35 

What special touches make your home feel luxurious to you?

Wearing A Dress!

I attended church with my family and Mr. Mickey on Sunday.

I wore a knit dress from Chico's last year and my favorite IC Collection faux suede trench from My Fair Lady. 

Dresses are outside my comfort zone, but I pair them with nude pointed toe heels to visually lengthen my legs when I do wear them. This is about the shortest I would ever go unless I am wearing a straight black skirt or dress with opaque black tights and black boots.

I am wearing the most fabulous pantyhose, a gift from a reader while she was visiting the Monoprix in Paris. (Thank you, Marty!) If you can find 5 or 7 denier ultra-sheer stockings, you will love them. They make your legs look like silk, but it feels like you aren't even wearing stockings!

The necklace is also old from Chico's. The bag was made in Italy, and I found it at T.J.Maxx last year. The nude pumps are by Steve Madden.

Featuring Janna Beatty, Co-Author Of Quintessential Style

Janna Beatty wrote one of my favorite style guides with Sharon White. I learned so much from this book that I thought I would introduce you to the author Janna Beatty. I am turning the blog over to her today to get to know her a little more.

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Janna Beatty in her studio.

      “Fifty Not Frumpy,” what a remarkable blog site. Wow, I was so excited to be invited to contribute to Susan’s blog.  I’ve been working with women for over 30 years, and we all need to be reminded that age doesn’t mean much—it’s all about attitude.

            
      I was recently a guest on a radio talk show, and the host made this comment after reading our book: “I have highlighted something on almost every page of Quintessential Style. I’m 47 years old, and I feel like I’m learning about my style all over again.” This comment has been repeated by hundreds of clients over the years. Mid-life seems to be a transitional time for most--empty-nesting, returning to the workforce, losing loved ones, divorce, and physical changes. Women regularly seek my services during some kind of “shift” in their lives.

Janna shows clients which patterns and prints are most complementary.

      
      When I read Susan’s blog, I could understand immediately why she has such an enormous following. Susan’s story of transformation during mid-life could be any of ours. She went from “now to WOW.”
           
      In the busyness of day-to-day living, we can lose our identities—especially women, who are natural caregivers and frequently don’t take time for themselves. More often than not, when I meet a client, I predominantly hear negative self-talk rather than positivity. “I’m fat, I’m getting jowls, I have wrinkles.”  Their confidence levels are sometimes at an all-time low.

Janna shows clients which colors look best on them.

      When I meet a client for the first time, I see none of that. My eyes focus only on their marvelous attributes: a beautiful smile, high cheekbones, amazing eye color, gorgeous hair.

      Most women engage in too much negative self-talk. And over the years, like our bodies, our hair, and our skin change, we no longer see the vibrancy in the mirror. Our tendency is to envision an older, less attractive version of ourselves. We may begin comparing ourselves to others or who we used to be. It is all very self-critical and detrimental.

      I went through this myself. And even though I am a professional image consultant and have been advising women for years, I had to figure out what to do when I no longer reflected the vibrant, energetic person I once was. After all, it was my job to be the expert.

      I went through what I term in the book as “My Falloff Point.” It means a point I had reached the point where even though I was putting more and more effort in, I couldn’t quite get myself looking as good as I once had.

      I began to learn what was causing my “fall off.” I started putting systems into place to combat the changes. I had to reevaluate my life and ask myself: “Who am I, TODAY?”  I focused on the present, not 20 or 30 years ago.

            

Janna and Sharon co-wrote the book.

      Thus became the inspiration for our book: Quintessential Style: Cultivate and Communicate Your Signature Look.  It was a 3-year project. My co-writer, Sharon White, researched book after book before we began writing. What we found was this: Every book on the market talks about how to dress. QStyle talks about how to dress YOU. It is meant to speak to each individual reader about her life’s journey, no matter the age.  What do you want to communicate? How can you do it? QStyle’s intention is to enable every woman to “see” her magnificence more clearly.

      Susan reevaluated her life at age 54 and made changes to support her wants and needs. Then she went even further to share her journey with the world. Brava Susan! Sharon and I hope we can help women at any age realize that change is inevitable, and you must flow with it. But if you need a little guidance, take the first step and figure out, “Who you are—TODAY?

Janna designs custom jewelry based on color types.

The link below is a special offer for Fifty, not Frumpy readers, to get $10 off the book.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Makeovers4U?ref=l2-shopheader-name