Sunday, December 30, 2012

Blue and Gold brocade

Ah, New Years Eve and the last Monday of 2012. It just seems hard to believe that another year has flown by in the blink of an eye. Our evening will be a quiet one spent at home and if we are lucky we might be awake at midnight to greet the new year.  

I purchased some new boots from Amazon this past week with some money I got for Christmas. On Christmas day, my sister was wearing these boots in black. She had purchased them from a local boutique for $160. I hoped to find them for less and after some searching, I found them on Amazon for $40. I ended up getting both the taupe and black since they were such a good price.

For today's outfit, I combined the taupe boots with pattern and shine in gold and blue. I started out with the pants tucked into the boots but I was unsure if I really liked it so I ended up untucking them. It is hard for me to find anything pants that are tight enough through the calves to tuck in boots. Plus-side skinny or jeggings are not made for those of us with smaller calves (although mine aren't that tiny!)


Image From Amazon.com



Jacket: Chico's
Blouse: Dillards
Jeans: Wit & Wisdom via Nordstrom
 Boots: Very Volatile via Amazon
 


It is hard to see the pattern on the pants, but it is a large brocade pattern. Because I had so much pattern going on, I decided to go with minimal accessories. I have had this bracelet and matching earrings for a long time and haven't worn it much. It is so beautiful that I am kind of afraid to wear it and risk damaging it. It went so perfectly with this outfit that I had to get it out.

Stanley Hagler NYC/Ian St. Gellar
 
 I wish you all a very Happy New Year. Thank you for joining me on my style journey through my retirement. I am so thankful for being a part of this wonderful blogging community. I am always in awe of all the creativity and style that is shared on Visible Monday and every other day. You are all amazing and inspiring. Thank you for being here. Please visit Not Dead Yet Style for the last Visible Monday of 2012.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Cream and Gray

I have been going back and forth trying to decide whether or not to post today. With the news of what happened in Newtown on Friday I feel so sad and a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.  What a horrific tragedy. My heart goes out to all who lost a loved one and to those whose innocence has been forever lost.

My outfit for today is rather muted in gray and cream. I need to get the pants hemmed, but I did not want to wait to wear them, so I turned the hems up. I remember years ago I never had to hem pants. Now I almost always have to unless the pants are "ankle" pants in which case they fit me like perfectly.




I decide to use rather feminine accessories so I went with what I think is the ultimate feminine accessory - pearls.

Friday evening we took Harry to the dog park. It was the first time at a dog park for us and it was fun even though it was cold and windy. It was fun to see all the dogs running and sniffing. (I don't think Harry much appreciated the two neutered males who thought he needed to be humped.) While we were watching them, a lady sitting on a bench with me remarked that there was a much larger than Harry black Lab who should be arriving soon. Imagine her surprise when the huge Lab, Rex, turned out to be smaller than Harry! He is a big dude. When we got him we were told he was a smaller Airedale and was full grown. Ha! We love him regardless.

On another subject, I am going to remove the ability to comment anonymously for a while. I have been getting a lot of spam anon comments. I wanted people to be able to comment easily even if they don't have a Google account. Unfortunately the few ruin things for the many. I apologize if this inconveniences anyone (except you spammers!)

Please join all the wonderful bloggers who share their beauty on this Visible Monday linkup.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Black and blue on Monday

Happy Monday to you all. First, I would like to apologize for not commenting on blogs this past week. I am afflicted with vascular headaches and occasionally I have them for days on end. This past week was one of those occasions. Consequently, I did not spend much time on the computer. I am hoping that this week I will have more time to view all of my favorite blogs.

I am not sure why, but lately I have been wearing a lot of black. My outfit for today consists of black, white, and accents of blue in scarves. I wanted to show two different scarves with the same outfit. I ended up wearing the more vivid blue one in the second photo. 

I love the jacket I am wearing. It is a very soft leather with a patent snake print on it purchased several years ago from Chico's. This scarf is from Brightly Twisted, a Michigan company. The scarves are dyed and manufactured in the USA from imported fabric.  Each scarf is uniquely beautiful. (I am not affiliated with the company in any way and purchased the scarf myself.)

Harry decided to perform a 'stuffinectomy' on his ball toy. Stuffin' was flyin' for a while.
Leather Jacket: Chico's
Blouse: Chico's
Pants: Chico's Floral Lace
Scarf: Brightly Twisted
Shoes: FSNY
 
The second scarf I wore is one I purchased from Marshall's. It has a beautiful cobalt, black, and gray print. It's a very light weight chiffon and is very easy to style. I have been obsessed with scarves and wearing them most every day. A scarf can take a plain outfit to chic and polished. It is a great way for someone who lives a very casual life to jazz up almost any outfit.

Please visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Bon Bon Rose Girls for Monday Mingle.

Monday, December 3, 2012

What a Retired Boomer Wears on a Casual Day

I am always in awe of the fabulous outfits that my fellow bloggers create. There are so many with unique, elegant, quirky, artistic, or classic style that I adore seeing every day.  I am not sure that my outfit for today's Visible Monday is really even blogworthy. I have found that the longer I am retired, the less likely I am to dress to the nines. I still try to dress nicely, but my reality is much different than those of you who are still in the work force. Today's outfit illustrates that new reality. It was far too warm for a jacket (we had a record high yesterday) and we only went to the grocery store, so my fanciest accessory was a scarf.

Shirt: Lauren
Jeans: Chico;s
Shoes: Boutique 9
Scarf: Next

I did wear a scarf on my wrist as well as around my neck. I have seen several bloggers wear a wrist scarf and I decided to try it as well. I don't think I will do it again because it is too difficult to keep it dry when I wash my hands. Cute, but impractical.


No Harry photo today because he was too busy watching a squirrel to be bothered with us.  

I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy today's linkups for Visible Monday and Monday Mingle.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Two for the price of one

For today's Visible Monday I decided to do a 'twofer.' Two outfits based on the the same top, bottom, and scarf but with different jackets. I recently purchased the scarf on sale at White House Black Market. I liked the color combination/pattern. The scarf has an Alexander McQueen vibe without skulls. I just cannot abide the skull motif, it's just way too creepy for my taste.

Jacket on Left: CJBanks
Jacket on Right: Chico's
Blouse: Nygard
Jeans: NYDJ Jade Leggings
Scarf: White House Black Market
Boots: Vince Camuto Winchell
 
Here's a closer look at the scarf.


Of course, I have to share a photo of Harry who was so excited about photo time.

 
 
When I put together the floral/plaid look I wasn't so sure I would like it, but it turned out to be my favorite of the two looks. I think that we were so indoctrinated when we were young to not mix patterns that it has taken a long time for me to be really comfortable wearing it. Have any of you had a difficult time accepting this long time fashion "don't" as a "do"?
 
 
Please join me for this week's Visible Monday linkup. For me, it's the most happenin' place to be on a Monday.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Brooch, Broach, Pin or whatever you might call them, here they are!

I almost let November 21st slip by me. Where is time going? It seems to slip by faster every day. Une Femme d'un Certain Age has designated today as Show Us Your Brooches Day. I tried to pull out my prettier and older pieces. I have a lot that will most likely be considered vintage any day now as I have had many of them for years, but I didn't photograph them. I did inherit a couple of pieces from my great Aunt, but most of the others I have purchased over the past 30 or more years.

 
 
 
 
 




In getting them out to photograph them I noticed some of them were pretty dusty after being stored in drawers for so long. However, if I took time to clean them you all might never have seen them, so here they are "as is."  I think my favorites are the ones with orange toned stones. They seem to be the most dramatic.

I have quite a few vintage bracelets and necklaces that I have collected over the years and I will take pictures of those one of these days. I really need to do so just so I know what I have. 

Seeing all the pieces I have has made me decide to wear a few of them this year. So, you may be seeing them again soon on an outfit of the day.

For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you a very happy day.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Sparkle and Fringe Galore


This Visible Monday outfit is all about sparkle and fringe, two things I dearly love. I started out in the morning with the sweater on but had to remove it around noon because the day was getting too warm. I am beginning to wonder if I will be able to wear my sweaters this winter.

When I was in my teens I had a really cool (okay, it was cool in the 60's) outfit that I wore all the time. The shirt was a sheer brown and white print fabric with fringe trimming from the shoulders and down around the bust area as well as across the back. The pants were white bell bottoms and had a fringed fabric belt that matched the shirt. I felt as visible in that outfit as I did in the one I am sharing today. Some might say that I was a bit over the top in today's outfit, but I say to heck with them.

Chico's sweater
Foxcroft blouse
Chico's scarf
Chico's Rhinestone jeans
Tom's glitter shoes

My sweater has silver threads woven throughout. It is a loose weave meant for layering. I chose a black shirt to give it a bit of a gray cast so it would pick up the gray color in the scarf.

As usual, when we were taking pictures, Harry had to get in the action with his loofa dog toy. He loves the toy because he can shake it, squeak it, and flea bite it. He likes to put it against our bodies and then flea bite it. He had it against DH's back while he was trying to take the pictures. This picture is one taken when I called him to me so as to stop pestering the photographer.



I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy this Visible Monday linkup. I am always in awe at that wonderful style that so many of you share each week.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Cold weather has arrived

First, on this Veteran's Day, I would like to thank all our Veterans for their service to their country and all its citizens. 

In one day, we went from almost 80 degrees F to freezing with 40 mph wind, which is rather typical Kansas weather. Now I remember why I do not like to wear dresses. After seeing so many bloggers wear dresses and tights, I decided to give it a try myself for my Visible Monday outfit. I bought a really pretty sweater dress and some black tights. The sweater dress was only $11.00 at the 1/2 of 1/2 Store. The tights I had gotten to wear with a dress for a wedding we attended Friday night. (More about that later.) I think the next time I wear the sweater dress it will be with skinny jeans underneath and not tights. Brrr, cold!

Sweater dress: Style & Co via 1/2 of 1/2 Store
Blouse: Foxcroft
Boots: Aerosoles
Megan Mae button flower
Aerosoles Sota Boots
Friday night we attended the wedding of two of the loveliest young people I have ever met. Quinn, the bride, is the daughter of my best friend. She and her husband Stuart are the kind of young people every parent would want their children to grow up to be. They are both hard-working and focused on their futures.  In an era when weddings can often be ostentatious expensive extravaganzas, they chose to make their focus on family and friends and their love for each other. Their wedding was simply elegant and suited them perfectly. I felt lucky to be a part of their beautiful day. Thank you Quinn and Stuart and I wish the best of everything to you both. May you always be as happy as you were on your wedding day.

I hope you will all join me for our fun Visible Monday and Monday Mingle weekly fashion linkup.

Monday, November 5, 2012

There's no place like home or red glitter shoes

I have been having a really hard time bouncing back from FarLeyJoE's death and I have not been commenting or looking at many blogs here lately. I am sorry, but I have just been so blue that I haven't been too interested in fashion. The odd thing is that I have gotten obsessed with genealogy. I have been spending a lot of time researching my family tree. I have no famous relatives and certainly none that were rich. But it is very interesting to find out that I have ancestors who have been in the United States since before there was a US of A. Some were veterans of the Revolutionary War, the war of 1812, and the Civil War. With Veterans Day coming up, it makes it mean even more to me this year. I think working on genealogy gives me something to concentrate on other than the empty spot in my heart and in my den from the loss of FarLeyJoE and Jada. Have any of you done any genealogy research? Any tips for me?

Last week I went to my hairdresser and got some darker color weaved in my hair. I want to let my hair grow out to its natural color, whatever that might be. The color is a big change and I am not sure I like it yet, but I am sure I will get used to it eventually.

I wanted to wear my red glitter Tom's so I put together this outfit so I could wear them for this Visible Monday linkup.  I have wanted red glitter shoes since the first time I saw Dorothy's shoes in The Wizard of Oz. The pants are a knit that has pleather inserts down each side. They are a bit long, but I really bought them so I could tuck them inside my boots, so I haven't hemmed them.

Leather jacket: Coldwater Creek
Top: JonesNY via 1/2 of 1/2 store
Pants: Tribal from Ann's Fashions
Red Glitter shoes: Tom's
Is it a bird, a plane, or Superman?
It was a big passenger jet flying really fast and low over the house.
Chico's necklace
 This has been a rough summer for me. First losing Jada and then FarLeyJoE has just hit me hard. So please bear with me until I get back to normal (or at least what is normal for me, ha!) In the meantime, please visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Monday Mingle for the weekly fashion parade.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Velvet and Rhinestones and Glitter

First, I want to tell you how much all of your expressions of sympathy about my dear FarLeyJoE meant to me. It was such a hard week, but reading your comments meant a lot to me. Thank you so much for your kindness.

I have jury duty  this week and I am exhausted after just the first day. Just sitting in horrible chairs and waiting all day has made me very tired. I do not even know if I am on a jury yet. I have to go back tomorrow to find out if I have been chosen. This outfit is not what I wore because I always feel dirty after being at the Courthouse so I went pretty casual today. Since you have to go through a metal detector, I only wore a watch. It is too much of a hassle to take jewelry on and off and keep track of your handbag which is going through an X-ray machine 10 feet away. If you have never had jury duty, let me say that it is NOTHING like they show it on TV. 

Anyway, on to the outfit. It was fairly cool on Saturday so I was able to wear my velvet jacket. It is probably still a bit early to wear it, but I wanted to wear it, so wear it I did. All of the pictures turned out horrible, so I tried to change the colors as much as I could to make it look like it really did.


Jacket: Lane Bryant
Blouse: Dillards
Jeans: Chico's
Shoes: Tom's silver glitter

The jeans have rhinestones all over the front and on the back pockets. Really glitzy. We had gone to Gander Mountain and I was sitting in a chair waiting on my DH and a young lady came up and told me how much she liked the jeans. It turns out she is a news anchor on the local FOX station. It made my day.

I hope you will join all the other stylish bloggers over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style for the Visible Monday linkup. I hope you are all having a better week than I am.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Visible Monday - Blue edition

My outfit for today is as blue as I feel on this Visible Monday and Monday Mingle. I probably had on too much shiny gold, but it made me feel a bit better.
Jacket: Fashion Bug
Blue & Gold Sweater: Chico's
Gold Tank: Chico's
Jeans: Chico's
Gold Shoes: Corso Como
Harry was happy to have his picture taken.

Cloisonne Pendant
Indigo Flameworks
The rest of this post is about why I am sad right now. You don't have to read any further if you do not wish to do so.

Last Wednesday, I had to make one of the hardest decisions ever. I had to make the phone call to the Veterinarian to make an appointment to euthanize my sweet, sweet FarLeyJoE. I know I have mostly written about Harry, but FarLeyJoE was my 'heart dog.' The one who was the one I shall miss more than any other and I have missed many of them an awful lot. He was always "my" dog. I was his one and only. Even when others were around, he had eyes and love for only me. If you have never had a heart dog or pet, I doubt you will understand the depth of my grief over losing him. Some may think "he was only a dog", but he was more than just a dog to me. I made sure that the last thing he saw was me and the last words he heard were me saying "I love you."

This quote from Dean Koontz's book "The Darkest Evening of the Year", is the best one I have ever read about sharing one's life with a dog.

“Dogs, lives are short, too short, but you know that going in. You know the pain is coming, you're going to lose a dog, and there's going to be great anguish, so you live fully in the moment with her, never fail to share her joy or delight in her innocence, because you can't support the illusion that a dog can be your lifelong companion. There's such beauty in the hard honesty of that, in accepting and giving love while always aware that it comes with an unbearable price. Maybe loving dogs is a way we do penance for all the other illusions we allow ourselves and the mistakes we make because of those illusions.”

Most of the photos we have of my boy were actual film photos. I had to scan these, so they are not very clear.
What a beautiful, expressive face
 
When he was younger, he liked to sleep in my chair.
 
FarLeyJoE wasn't always a well behaved dog. He once pooped on my clean clothes in a laundry basket, DH's clothes were on the other side of the basket, untouched. He was upset because I went out of town for business and was naughty every day I was gone.

He came to us as a rescue, found in a local park by a Veterinarian who was running through the park. He was a big goofball. These last few years he has been in declining health and mostly slept and kept an eye on me. He would bark when I left the room, wanting me to return. It is so hard to be here in the den without him. I have and always will miss him, goodbye my sweet boy.

If you have read to this point, thank you. Thank you for sharing my Visible Monday and Monday Mingle with me. Please visit the other stylish ladies for their wonderful outfits and no doubt happier posts.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Visible Monday - Goldfinger

Not really a Goldfinger, but instead gold finger nails for this Visible Monday. I had on a really pretty rose gold polish from Sephora, but it chipped in less than 24 hours. Back it goes. I expect it to last more than 1 day and especially when it was a limited edition that was a bit more pricey than other polishes. The polish I have on now is Deborah Lippman 'Swagga Like Us.' It is a  beautiful duochrome that shows both gold and green gold depending on the light and angle of your hands.

Bracelet on left side of photo: Leighelena
Deborah Lippman polish: Swagga Like Us
Bracelets on right side of photo: Michele Watch, David Yurman Spiritual Beads, 
Other 3 Yurman sterling cable bracelets

The battery died in my car yesterday, so we had to go out today and get a replacement. I usually get my pictures taken on Sunday, but my husband had a club event and was gone all day Sunday, so my pictures were taken a bit late today.

Today's outfit was really a bit too warm considering it was 80 today. This weather is quite weird. Hot one day, cool the next. It makes it hard to plan on what to wear. The vest I am wearing is one I got at the 1/2 of 1/2 Name Brand Store. It was originally a double  breasted vest, but I modified it to single breasted. I got it for $6.00 and then bought new buttons. The original buttons were white and mostly broken. If not for seeing what other bloggers are doing to refashion clothing, I probably wouldn't have thought to try this, but I am so glad I did. I think this vest will get lots of use this fall and winter.


Vest: 1/2 of 1/2 NBC
Blouse: CJ Banks
Jeans: Lauren via 1/2 of 1/2
Booties: From last year
 
I purchased Stacy London's new book "The Truth About Style" and I will write a short review this week of my opinion about it. Has anyone else purchased or read this new book?

I hope to see many of you on the Visible Monday linkup. It's getting to be a pretty big weekly party with women of many different ages, come join the fun!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Visible Monday - Slightly Cowgirl

We had our first freeze over the weekend, so it was finally cool enough to pull out my fringe jacket. I had almost forgotten that I had it until deja pseu posted about fringe as a fall trend. I bought the jacket several years ago at Chico's and have rarely worn it. Being a baby boomer, I think my memories of the Lone Ranger and all the cowboy shows of the 50's and 60's influenced my love of leather, fringe, and silver. Did you play Cowboys and Indians when you were young? We kids galloped all over our neighborhood riding imaginary horses. Mine was a beautiful Palomino with a flowing white mane and tail and a beautiful black tooled leather saddle with silver accents. (I loved horses and had quite a vivid imagination when I was a little girl.)

We had to take my houseplants back inside for the winter, so my background is a bit stark now. I really wasn't feeling well yesterday when these pictures were taken, so I had minimal accessories.



Jacket: Chico's
Chambray Blouse: JCP
Jeggings: NYDJ Jade style in Plumberry
Shoes: Tom's
Infinity Scarf: Coldwater Creek
I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and feel visible and fabulous! Please join Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and the ladies at Monday Mingle.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Visible Monday - Black, White, and Red

This is what I wore to go to breakfast, PetCo, and Walmart. My life has been rather quiet here lately. I guess that is a good thing. We did spend Saturday viewing the Homeland marathon on Showtime. Now I understand why it got so many Emmy's. It has a lot of twists and turns. Just when you think you have the bad guys figured out, a twist occurs that leaves you wondering.

I am meeting my best friend for lunch today so I will keep this post short. I will be joining Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday
 and Nicole at Momtrends for Monday Mingle.

The photo on the right is my accidental "blogger looking at shoes" pose.
Jacket: Lane Bryant via 1/2 of 1/2 store
Top: don't remember
Jeans: NYDJ Sheri Skinny
Shoes: Payless Shoe Source
Necklace: Chico's
I hope to see many of you on our weekly fashion linkup. I find it more exciting to see what all of you wear than I do the glossy fashion magazines. Have a great Monday.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Visible Monday - A wish for fall weather

I am really wishing for fall weather this year. We have had a couple of lovely fall-like days this month to tease us, but alas, it is still summer like weather here. I took advantage of a below 80 degree day to put on my first real fall outfit. I will admit that I took off the jacket once we got home from going out to eat breakfast as it was just too warm to keep on. Kansas is a state with extremes in weather. We might not even have a fall, we could go straight from summer to winter or we could have a warm winter with few below freezing days like we did last year. My ancestors were definitely hardy souls to live and survive in this windswept plain.

Jacket: Chico's
Top: LYS from KMart
Belt: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: NYDJ Sheri Skinny in Terra Hide
Fisherman sandals: Reiker
I did have on bracelets, but the memory stick on the camera was full so we did not get shots of the bracelets, however you have probably seen them before. I didn't wear a necklace because I thought the belt was enough of an accessory, but in looking at the pictures, I think I could've worn a small scale necklace and it would've looked just fine.

My NYDJ jeans are a coated denim finish distressed to look like leather. They can be purchased from the NYDJ website or Nordstrom's. (The Nordstrom link takes you to the NYDJ Fall lookbook with lots of great outfits featured.) I purchased my jeans from Nordstrom's as they had the plus size before they were offered on the NYDJ site. Both have free shipping and returns. If you are looking for a great fitting pair of jeans, try NYDJ's. They may be a bit more expensive, but if you have one pair of great fitting jeans that make you feel very visible and fabulous, you can get more cost per wear value than if you have several cheaper pair that don't fit as well. For me, the best thing about these jeans is that they are made in the USA!  

Saturday, we stopped by the Meat Market to buy filet mignon's for us and decided to buy some fresh beef bones for the dogs. They spent the afternoon gnawing on the bones and were so exhausted, they slept for hours. Harry even slept through taking the photos which was a first for him.

FarLeyJoE (lettering is intentional, it suits him) on the left and Harry on the right.
 
Please visit the linkup's for Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and Monday Mingle to viewall the visible fashion inspiration for this week.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Visible Monday - Early fall color

The past year and nine months have been a new journey for me. What I initially thought my wardrobe would be in retirement is not what it has turned out to be. I really thought I would dress every day like I did while working. I thought I would wear all the jewelry and other accessories I did then. I do still try to dress attractively every day, but I don't wear all the accessories I used to on a daily basis.

Sometimes I feel like a bit of a fraud when I think of what I named my blog. It should probably be "She Used To Accessorize Well." I have been toying around with the idea of changing the name of my blog to "Forever in Blue Jeans" as it more accurately defines how I dress every day. (Except for my maxi's which are as comfortable as jeans on a hot summer day.) Then I realized that what I wanted this blog to be was to show how I maintain style throughout retirement and that change should be expected. I imagine that my style will likely change even more as the years go by. I suppose that many of you who currently work outside the home will change your style when you retire just as I have. It is an interesting journey to be sure.

When we went to brunch this morning, I felt very Visible and comfortable in this outfit. After discussing vests with Anne at The Frump Factor, I decided to pull one of my favorites out of hiding. I also decided to debut my new Vince Camuto boots. I wasn't going to buy any new boots this season, but the moment I saw these in the fall magazines, I knew that they were ones that I would wear and love for years.

Vest: Orvis
Blouse: Foxcroft
Jeans: LRL
Boots: Vince Camuto
Vince Camuto Winchell Boots
80's Copper/Brass necklace
 
This past week my glasses broke across the nose. Fortunately, the prescription of my old pair was close enough to wear until I can get a replacement frame. Did you know that the warranty on eyeglass frames begins when you purchase them? I thought it started when you actually received them, but was informed differently by the optical store. I had purchased them in the middle of July and did not get them until September 17th. I was a bit upset when they told me I was out of warranty. They did talk to the company that made them and ever so generously informed me that they they would honor the warranty. Although I was happy that they did agree to replace them, I wasn't too happy with their condescending attitude. It used to be that companies stood behind their products without acting like they were doing you a big favor to replace a faulty item. Ah how times have changed.
 
Please visit Not Dead Yet Style and Monday Mingle to see what everyone is wearing this week. I know it will be fun!

Monday, September 10, 2012

No Maxi Monday

For this Visible Monday/Monday Mingle I am not wearing a maxi. I had a new eyelash/confetti scarf that I wanted to wear, so I decided to go with jeans and a tee instead. I don't know about all of you, but I tend to do things in phases. Right now I am wanting to wear scarves. Last fall and winter I wasn't that enthused about wearing them. I tend to go full bore whenever I get interested or intrigued by something. I used to think it was a personality flaw, but now I realize it is just how I roll and accept it.

Tee from 1/2 of 1/2 store
Jeans: French Dressing Jeans
Scarf: from Ann's Fashions
Sandals: Red Patent Think! Sandals
Bracelets on Left: Noosa Amsterdam top, bottom from TJMaxx
Right: Yurman, Yurman, & Bead Bracelet
Harry was wilder than a March hare and was running about like a mad dog. We had to bribe him with biscuits to get him to even stand still. He wanted his picture taken and I had a number of them with noses and tail shots. After the bribery, we did get a few good shots.

Saturday, we went to see the Oscar Meyer WeinerMobile at a local grocery store. It was fun to see. Every bit of it is customized, including the seat covers and dash. I tried to get some good photos of the inside but the glare on the windows made most of the pictures too blurry.

My husband talked to the driver who happened to be a young woman. She said it handled surprisingly well in the wind (we have had some high winds lately) in spite of its ungainly looking body.

I hope all of you have had a lovely Monday and that you visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and Momtrends for Monday Mingle.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Making a vest out of a scarf - fun for Thursday

Some of you probably already know how to make a vest out of a scarf, but until a week ago I didn't know how to do it. I was in my Chico's store and my favorite sales associate, Pam, showed me how to style the scarf. Because I don't do video's, I checked out YouTube and found several variations of the tying method that I would like to share with you.

First, a warning for those of you who watch at work: there may be music so play at your own risk.

The first video is from CrushClothing. Their channel has a number of other scarf tying videos. This is the style I was shown at Chico's.


The next video is from TheodoraAndCallum, another channel with interesting videos.   


The last video is from Lovelifelivefashion.
 

I think this would also look great belted with a jacket over it. Or belted on its own. It is up to you to create your own spin on this look. With a light wispy scarf this would be pretty over a tee in the summer. I am especially excited to try this with some of my fall scarves. Different size scarves make really different looks with the way they drape.

What ideas do you have for the scarf vest? Have fun!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Zig Zag, Red & Black Monday

Yes, it is another maxi dress. This summer maxi's have been my go to outfit. I think I am now seeing why some of you love dresses so much for their ease of wear. I coveted this one from the moment I saw it in the Chico's catalog. It is easy to dress up or down and I will be able to wear this in the fall with a black leather jacket and booties. The big plus is I got it on sale for half off, then an extra 30% off of the sale price.


Jacket: Coldwater Creek
Dress: Chico's
Sandals: Think! Julia

A few of you have asked about my hair. After seeing so many other over 50 women with longer hair that look very attractive, I decided that I wanted to let it grow. I would like for it to be all one length except for my bangs. I have a long way to go because my last hair stylist decided that I need to have it thinned out and cut a lot of length off the top layers. Longer hair seems to be easier to style than really short hair.  I am still undecided about the color. I really wish that all my hair was gray, but unfortunately I still have quite a lot of darker hair. I stopped coloring it and let it go natural, but it was just such a bland color, just mousy. Any one have any advice? It just seems like no matter whether I have blond or darker hair it is a lot of upkeep.

Please join us for Visible Monday and Monday Mingle for our very own September fashion issue.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Monday, Monday

This past weekend we finally got some rain. That was wonderful, but for my asthma it was not so great. Weather changes often cause my asthma to flare up and this weekend I felt really yucky. I did not leave the house for a couple of days and we did not get any photos for the blog. Fortunately, I one outfit that I kept back for just such an occasion.

Not too long ago I was flipping through TV channels and happened to see one of the hostesses on QVC wearing a top that I fell in love with instantly. They weren't selling it at that moment, but I went on a hunt on their website to find it, which I did right about the time it was presented. I ordered the same color the hostess was wearing and I absolutely adore this top. It is very feminine and makes me feel very visible.


Top: George Simonton via QVC
Jeans: Ralph Lauren via 1/2 of 1/2 store
Shoes: Payless

The sleeves have ruching as does the bottom sides of the hem.
Necklace: Banana Republic
Bracelets on left side of photo: top Noosa Amsterdam, bottom Kenneth Cole
right side of photo Michele watch and Yurman bracelets

Are any of you QVC or HSN viewers? I probably should not be because they make everything sound as if you cannot live without it and that you must buy it NOW.

I know that this top does show my plump middle, but I have decided to quit worrying about not looking perfect. When I had my mastectomy, the Doctor told me that one thing that would be an issue was how clothing fits and looks. Most plus-size women have ample bosoms which kind of disguise a bigger stomach area and allow for the wearing of belts to move the eye upwards. Since I don't have that, my middle is on full view (belts migrate up to my armpits, not a good look). I cannot say that it doesn't bother me at all, but I am trying to accept myself as I am and not focus on perfection.


I hope you all have a lovely Monday and that you will join the lovely ladies at Patti's Visible Monday link party and Momtrends Monday Mingle.